Visions of women restored through scar-free endoscopic surgery for brain tumours

The Meenakshi Super Speciality Hospital, Madurai, has successfully employed a neuroendoscopic technique known as Extended Endoscopic Endonasal Approach (EEA), an advanced, minimally invasive microsurgical procedure, to remove the tumours located beneath the anterior skull base, eliminating the need for open-skull surgery.

In a press release, the hospital authorities said over the past three months, the hospital has operated on three women who were progressively losing their eyesight due to Planum Sphenoidale Meningioma, a rare anterior skull base tumour that compressed the optic chiasm and impaired vision.

In each case, the tumour was located deep beneath the anterior skull base, in close proximity to optic nerves and optic chiasm, a region that lies at the junction between the brain and the nasal cavity. Using EEA, the neurosurgical team accessed and removed the tumours through the nasal passage with the aid of a high-definition endoscope, avoiding external scars and brain retraction. After tumour removal, the surgeons reconstructed the skull base, ensuring complete anatomical and functional restoration.

The technique enabled early decompression of the optic nerves, leading to immediate postoperative visual improvement. Owing to the team’s expertise, none of the patients experienced neurological deficits and there was no cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, a common risk in skull base surgeries. All three patients made a smooth recovery and were discharged within a week.

Unlike traditional craniotomy – an open-skull surgery in which a portion of the skull is removed and the brain is retracted to reach the tumour, this advanced endoscopic approach completely eliminates the need for the skull opening. It is a scar-free procedure, offering both cosmetic and clinical advantages.

The surgical team was led by Dr. K. Selvamuthukumaran and included Dr. K. Senthilkumar and Dr. Gowtham Kuncha. The procedures were carried out with the support of the anesthesia team and neuro-ophthalmology specialists, the press release added.