
Page Hierarchy
- Services and Treatments
- Specialty Care
- Neurosurgery
- Skull Base Disorders Surgery
LVHN neurosurgeons have specialized training in performing skull base surgery for conditions such as pituitary tumors.
We are also regional leaders in navigated surgeries, using sophisticated imaging technology to visualize the brain during surgery. This approach results in a safer, more precise procedure.
People from around the region seek out our neurosurgery team for skull base surgery because of our high level of expertise in performing these intricate procedures.
What are skull base disorders?
The skull base is the bony ridge that the brain sits on at the bottom of the skull. The skull base separates the brain from other structures in the head, such as sinuses, ears and eyes.
There are many nerves and blood vessels that travel through the openings of the skull base. Skull base disorders often require surgery and include:
- Brain tumors
- Lesions of blood vessels such as aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations
- Leaking brain fluid (cerebrospinal fluid or CSF)
- Bone lesions
- Pituitary tumors
- Meningiomas
Endoscopic skull base surgery
If you’ve been diagnosed with a pituitary tumor or another lesion on the skull base, we will most likely perform endoscopic endonasal surgery. During this procedure, we thread an endoscope (a thin, fiber optic tube) through the nostril to remove the tumor.
At LVHN, our neurosurgeons perform 30 to 40 skull base procedures every year, a high number for these rare surgeries.
Advantages of this procedure include:
- Small incisions or no incisions at all
- Less pain and a shorter hospitalization, with many patients going home a day or two after surgery

Innovations at Lehigh Valley Institute for Surgical Excellence
Communication during surgery
For families, the hardest part of surgery is waiting and wondering. LVHN now offers secure mobile updates using the EASE app.