Negotiating the Learning Curve in Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery: A Local ENT Perspective

• Main Authors: Ranjan Raychowdhury, Sandip Chatterjee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Association of Otolaryngologists of India, West Bengal 2015-08-01
• Series: Bengal Journal of Otolaryngology and Head Neck Surgery
• Subjects: Skull Base; Endoscopy; Learning Curve; Otolaryngology; Neurosurgery
• Online Access: http://bjohns.in/journal/index.php/bjohns/article/view/68

Introduction Skull base surgery, although recognised as an interdisciplinary specialty involving both Neurosurgery and Otolaryngology in the West, has been the domain of the Neurosurgeon in West Bengal. Several superspecialty healthcare facilities in the state are now actively promoting endoscopic skull base surgery. Structured training The Pittsburgh group has published a systematic training programme for skull base surgery. Paradigm shift Following the work of several groups, most notably the Pittsburgh group in the USA, a paradigm shift from open to endoscopic anterior skull base surgery has occurred. Learning curve This paper discusses how the ENT surgeon may negotiate the learning curve in endoscopic skull base surgery in the context of the local resources available.