What is skull base surgery?
Skull base surgery is the management of conditions affecting the skull base. This includes tumours such as acoustic neuromas (vestibular schwannomas) and meningiomas as well as vascular compression conditions such as trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm.
Do all skull base conditions require surgery?
Not all skull base conditions require treatment. Tumours are often benign (not cancer) and if they are small and not causing symptoms, they can be monitored with regular brain scans. Conditions such as trigeminal neuralgia can often be treated effectively with medication. However, some skull base conditions require immediate treatment. Dr Dawes understands this can be a daunting time for patients and their families and prides himself of providing individualised, compassionate, evidenced based care.
