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Stanford Health Care

Types

Our Approach to Transtemporal Skull Base Surgery

Stanford Health Care offers transtemporal skull base surgery to remove tumors that can affect the ears, upper neck, base of the skull, and surrounding blood vessels and nerves. Temporal bones are the temple on each side of your head and house the structures of your ears.

Our doctors are among the most experienced transtemporal skull base surgeons in the world. We have helped lead the development of this innovative technique and continue to research new advances. As a result, we can offer patients the most advanced transtemporal skull base treatment options, some not yet available anywhere else.

As with all surgical procedures that we perform, our goals with transtemporal skull base surgery are to achieve successful outcomes, minimize the risk of complications, help you recover quickly and safely, and enable you to enjoy the best possible quality of life.

WHAT WE OFFER YOU FOR TRANSTEMPORAL SKULL BASE SURGERY

  • Extensive training and years of experience as an international leader in transtemporal surgical technique.
  • Use of the transtemporal skull base approach to remove tumors and treat damage affecting the ears, upper neck, base of the skull, and surrounding vessels and nerves.
  • An emphasis on avoiding facial nerve damage, preserving hearing, and minimizing the risk of injuring the brain.
  • Complete, compassionate treatment from a multidisciplinary team of dedicated professionals in our state-of-the-art clinic.
  • Research programs exploring new advances in transtemporal skull base surgery, some that may not be available yet at any other center. 
  • Assistance from our International Medical Services team to plan your travel and accommodations.

What Is Transtemporal Skull Base Surgery?

Transtemporal skull base surgery is a technique that enables doctors to access the base of the skull through an incision around your ear.

Your doctor may recommend this approach to remove tumors that can affect the ears, upper neck, base of the skull, and surrounding blood vessels and nerves.

Among its potential advantages, the transtemporal approach gives surgeons access to the skull base with minimal movement of the brain.

The delicate nature of this procedure demands the collaboration of multiple Stanford specialists, such as neurosurgeons, otologists (focused on the ears), and head and neck surgeons.

Types of Transtemporal Skull Base Surgery

The type of transtemporal skull base surgery that your doctor recommends depends on the type and location of the tumor and on the goal of the surgery. In some cases, the goal is to remove a diseased area. In other cases, once your care team gains access to the affected area, the recommended treatment may consist of close monitoring and a nonsurgical approach such as radiation therapy.

Terms to describe different types of transtemporal skull base surgery include:

  • Translabyrinthine
  • Transcochlear
  • Retrolabyrinthine
  • Lateral petrosectomy
  • Subtotal petrosectomy
  • Total petrosectomy
  • Infratemporal
  • Transapical
  • Retrosigmoid

Each type varies according to the location where the surgery starts and the path it will take to reach the problem area.

Our Clinics

Brain and Spine Tumor Center at Stanford Neuroscience Health Center
In Palo Alto, our multispecialty teams treat cancerous and noncancerous spine and brain tumors with surgery, radiation therapy, and medication.
Brain and Spine Tumor Center at Stanford Neuroscience Health Center
213 Quarry Road
 Palo Alto, CA 94304
Phone: 650-497-7777 Getting Here
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Phone: 650-497-7777
875 Blake Wilbur Drive
 Palo Alto, CA 94304
Phone: 650-498-6000
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