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Anterior Surgical Approaches to the Craniovertebral Junction and Upper Cervical Spine

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Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery

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Abstract

For certain tumors of the skull base and upper vertebral column, as well as a variety of congenital bony anomalies of the craniocervical region, an anterior surgical approach will be indicated. Developments in microsurgery, endoscopic surgery, image guidance, as well as intraoperative computerized tomography (CT) have meant that it is now possible to obtain accurate and reliable surgical access from the anterior cranial fossa floor to the cervicothoracic junction using the endoscopic endonasal, open transoral, and anterior transcervical approaches. Moreover, modern spinal instrumentation techniques ensure that effective spinal reconstruction and craniocervical fixation can be achieved after such approaches.

Although pioneered in adult patients, all these techniques are being increasingly used in pediatric neurosurgical practice. The evolution of these techniques, their advantages and limitations, and the principles of management that underpin the selection of surgical approach to the craniocervical region are addressed in this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatric Neurosurgery, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Great Ormond Street, London, WC1N 3JH, UK

    Dominic N. P. Thompson

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  1. Dominic N. P. Thompson
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Correspondence to Dominic N. P. Thompson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Neuroscience Institute, Hannover, Germany

    Concezio Di Rocco

  2. Oakland Medical Center, Oakland, California, USA

    Dachling Pang

  3. University of Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    James T. Rutka

Section Editor information

  1. Davis; and Kaiser Permanente Hospitals of Northern California, University of California, Oakland, United States of America

    Dachling Pang

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Thompson, D.N.P. (2017). Anterior Surgical Approaches to the Craniovertebral Junction and Upper Cervical Spine. In: Di Rocco, C., Pang, D., Rutka, J. (eds) Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31512-6_126-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31512-6_126-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31512-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31512-6

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