Abstract
Clival chordomas confront the surgeon with the task of resecting an aggressively invasive
and destructive tumor in a critical surrounding. For many, mainly smaller, chordomas,
the transnasal transclival approach is a feasible and safe surgical access. Larger
tumors and especially those with extensive intradural, retrochiasmal, and/or deep
cervical expansion are mostly approached by open craniotomy. Staged procedures are
also commonly used in the case of expansive tumor growth. We present the first case
of a single-session combined transnasal and transcranial approach to radically resect
a large clival chordoma.
Keywords
endoscopy - chordoma - skull base - approach