Endoscopic Endonasal Transsphenoidal Surgery: History and Evolution

Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery in Assiut University, Single Center Early Experience

“…The idea of reaching the skull base lesions endoscopically through the nasal rout has been started long time ago since the early start to find the ideal approach for Jules Hardy reintroduce the transsphenoidal pituitary surgery in 1965 by introduction of the binocular microscope to perform the procedure [1] [4].…”

“…Guiot was the first neurosurgeon who used the endoscope to inspect the seller cavity after microscopic transsphenoidal surgery in 1960 followed by Michael Apuzzo in 1977 who started to use the endoscope to assist the microscope during the transsphenoidal surgery [1] [5].…”

“…In 1996, co-operation between neurosurgeon Hae-Dong Jho and otolaryngologist Ricardo Carrau at the University of Pittsburgh, made them start to perform a fully endoscopic skull base procedures with a strictly endonasal approach [1] [6].…”

“…Juo and Carrau reported and discussed their approach in a series of 50 patients at the Sixth European Workshop on Pituitary Adenomas (Berlin, July, 1996) [1] [7].…”

“…Endoscopic use in the endonasal skull base approach allowed more clear, superior panoramic view than microscope with the possibility of exploration of angels and deep structures that was very difficult to be seen by microscope. The new technique results in overall decrease in complication rate, improved tumor excision, better preserved nasal airway functions, better patient compliance and shorter hospital stay [1] [3] [7].…”