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This article, titled "Artificial Intelligence in Skull Base Surgery: A Scoping Review," examines the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of skull base surgery. The authors conducted a systematic review of relevant articles published between January 2018 and September 2023. They found that AI is being increasingly utilized in skull base surgery, particularly for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. The majority of the studies focused on radiomics, with MRI being the most common imaging modality used. However, there are still many areas within skull base surgery that have not been explored with AI and warrant further investigation. [Extracted from the article]

This article presents a case series of patients with Tuberculum Sella Meningiomas (TSMs) who underwent endoscopic endonasal resection. TSMs are challenging to diagnose and treat due to their location near critical neurovascular structures and the optic chiasm. The study included 74 patients, predominantly female, with a median age of 56.7 years. The surgical approach resulted in a high rate of gross total resection and improved visual outcomes. However, CSF leak remains a concern, although it has decreased over time. Overall, the endoscopic endonasal approach is considered a safe and effective treatment for TSMs. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the use of endoscopic endonasal approaches (EEA) in the management of foramen magnum meningiomas (FMM). FMM is a rare type of intracranial meningioma, and traditional treatment involves transcranial corridors. The study presents the experience of the authors in using EEA for FMM resection and highlights its role and limitations. The results show that EEA can be an alternative corridor for carefully selected patients with ventral FMM, especially when involvement or encasement of the anterior spinal arteries is suspected. However, CSF leak remains a significant limitation. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the use of the vascularized lateral nasal wall flap (LNWF) in endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) for closure of complex skull base defects. The study presents a 15-year single-institutional experience with the LNWF, focusing on its role in providing durable closure after intradural endoscopic endonasal tumor resection. The LNWF is an axial transposition flap based on the inferior turbinate artery and its branches, and it can be modified to include the nasal floor and nasal septum for reconstruction of large skull base defects. The primary outcomes measured were postoperative flap necrosis and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. The study found that the LNWF successfully addressed CSF leak in 64% of cases and that postoperative CSF leak occurred in 28.5% of cases with intraoperative leak. The most common adverse outcomes associated with LNWF closures were CSF leak and flap necrosis. Overall, the LNWF is a valuable technique for the treatment of persistent CSF leaks after endonasal surgery. [Extracted from the article]

Background: We seek to inform radiotherapy (RT) delivery for adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck (ACC) by evaluating RT techniques and recurrence patterns. Methods: We identified patients with ACC treated with curative‐intent RT from 2005 to 2021. Imaging was reviewed to determine local recurrence (LR). Results: Ninety‐one patients were included. The 5‐year LR risk was 12.2% (6.6–22.7). One patient each experienced a marginal and out‐of‐field recurrence. Patients receiving >60 Gy postoperatively had a 5‐year LR risk of 0% compared to 10.7% (4.2–27.2) with ≤60 Gy. Those receiving 70 and <70 Gy definitively had a 5‐year LR risk of 15.2% (2.5–91.6) and 33.3% (6.7–100.0), respectively. No patients had regional nodal failure. Conclusions: Modern, conformal RT for ACC results in low rates of LR. Doses >60 and 70 Gy may improve control in the postoperative and definitive settings, respectively. Elective nodal treatment can be omitted in well‐selected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background  There is little data regarding postoperative outcomes of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) undergoing skull base surgery. The purpose of this study is to determine an association between risk factors and proximity of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak to surgery in patients with OSA undergoing endoscopic skull base surgery. Methods  A retrospective review of neurosurgical inpatients, with and without OSA, at a tertiary care institution from 2002 to 2015 that experienced a postoperative CSF leak after undergoing endoscopic skull base surgery. Results  Forty patients met inclusion criteria, 12 (30%) with OSA. OSA patients had significantly higher body mass index (BMI; median 39.4 vs. 31.7, p  < 0.01) and were more likely to have diabetes (41.7 vs. 10.7%, p  = 0.04) than non-OSA patients; otherwise there were no significant differences in clinical comorbidities. No patients restarted positive pressure ventilation (PPV) in the inpatient setting. The type of repair was not a significant predictor of the time from surgery to leak. Patients with OSA experienced postoperative CSF leak 49% sooner than non-OSA patients (Hazard Ratio 1.49, median 2 vs. 6 days, log-rank p  = 0.20). Conclusion  Patients with OSA trended toward leaking earlier than those without OSA, and no OSA patients repaired with a nasoseptal flap (NSF) had a leak after postoperative day 5. Due to a small sample size this trend did not reach significance. Future studies will help to determine the appropriate timing for restarting PPV in this high risk population. This is important given PPV's significant benefit to the patient's overall health and its ability to lower intracranial pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]