International Workshop on Skull Base and Cochlear Implantation conducted by Dr. Kumaresh

Neurotology is a specialty which manages diseases and disorders of hearing, balance, cranial nerves, implantation otology and the skull base. The skull base is an extremely complex region which is a very tight space with limited visibility, in which enormous critical structures are encountered. In view of this surgery of the skull base is technically challenging since many lesions arise in close proximity to many vital neural and vascular structures.

The surgical approaches employed to obtain adequate exposure of the skull base may be extra cranial, intracranial, or, in many instances, a combination of these.

The four main routes by which lateral skull base lesions are typically approached are:

1. transtemporal
2. infratemporal
3. transfacial
4. intracranial

Extensive lesions may require a combination of these approaches to gain adequate exposure, and each approach has its own advantages and limitations.

The course objective was to improve understanding of the complex anatomy of the lateral skull base and to enhance the surgical skill in a variety of lateral skull base approaches and also teach Cochlear Implantation technique.

Dr.Kumaresh was the organizing Chairman and the invited National Faculty was Dr. Deepak Haldipur, the international faculty was my mentor and Director of the Skull Base Fellowship and of Otology & Neurotology Fellowship and Adult Cochlear Implant Program, Dr. Ravi N Samy.

The workshop was mainly on Transtemporal which includes transcochlear, translabyrinthine, and combined routes and the Middle Fossa Approaches, participants were provided a sound conceptual framework of these approaches and also on the anatomy of the middle cranial base. It was a three day program that included cochlear implantation surgery on the skull bones of cadavers thereby imparting necessary detailed instruction on the trantemporal approaches and initiating surgeons into cochlear implant surgeries.

The workshop was conducted at Ramiah Advanced Skill lab which is a state-of-the-art facility tailored specifically for skills development. The registrations were closed within 30 minutes of it being announced!!!!! This shows the success of the workshop. It was also because of the tireless efforts of the HOD and Professors at Ramiah, Dept. of ENT namely, Dr. Reddy, Dr. Chandrakiran and Dr. Srinivas with whom I was coordinating for the workshop.

The laboratory contained 6 stations with portable leica microscopes, Medtronic drills, skitter drills and implant dummies from Digisonic and Nurotron. Suction/irrigation and surgical trays were also available in each station.