Delayed complications after anterior craniofacial resection of malignant skull base tumors

Objective To report complications occurring at least 6 months after completion of treatment for patients with anterior skull base malignancy undergoing anterior craniofacial resection (CFR). Design Retrospective review of medical records of all patients undergoing traditional CFR for treatment of anterior skull base malignancy from 2002 through 2011. Setting Massachusetts General Hospital/Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Cranial Base Center. Participants Thirty-one consecutive patients who had at least 18 months of follow-up for analysis were reviewed. All patients underwent traditional CFR. A total of 28 patients received postoperative proton beam radiation therapy. Eleven patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. Main Outcome Measures A delayed complication was any complication occurring at least 6 months after the completion of treatment. Results Seventeen patients had delayed complications. Orbital complications were the most common type (13 patients) followed by issues with wound healing (6 patients). The most common orbital complication was epiphora (7 patients). The most common wound complication was a nasocutaneous fistula (5 patients). Conclusions Patients with anterior skull malignancy can develop complications months to years after the completion of treatment. Therefore, it is important to continue to follow and report complications for several years when deciding on the optimal approach for treatment of these patients.

Orbital preservation in patients with esthesioneuroblastoma

Objectives Surgical resection in addition to adjuvant radiation with or without chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB). However, management of patients with orbital involvement remains controversial. Historically, orbital exenteration has been advocated when there is evidence of periorbital invasion. Recently, the indications for orbital exenteration have become more selective and orbital preservation has been advocated. We report our experience with anterior craniofacial resection and orbital preservation in patients with ENB. Design Retrospective review of all patients diagnosed with esthesioneuroblastoma who underwent traditional open anterior craniofacial resection at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Cranial Base Center from 1997 to 2008. Results Sixteen patients were identified with a mean follow-up of 76 months. All patients underwent anterior craniofacial resection via an open approach and adjuvant proton beam radiation. Six of the 16 patients had evidence of either periorbital or lacrimal sac involvement at the time of surgery. All of these patients underwent periorbital resection to negative histologic margins with preservation of the orbit. Conclusion In our study, patients with ENB and periorbital invasion-who were treated with anterior craniofacial resection and periorbital resection with orbital preservation-had no evidence of decreased survival. In all patients, negative histologic margins of the periorbital resection were achieved.