Skull Base Surgery Center
Led by Reza Dashti, MD, PhD, and Huseyin Isildak, MD, the Stony Brook Skull Base Surgery Center offers advanced diagnosis and treatment for skull base tumors. These tumors form at the base of the skull where the head and neck meet, and can be benign or malignant.
The skull base contains many nerves, blood vessels and glands. Damage in this area can affect vision, hearing, speech and swallowing, and may be life-threatening. In the past, surgeries for conditions in this area were impossible because of the complexity and risks involved. However, advances in technology and surgical techniques now make successful surgery possible.
The Stony Brook Skull Base Surgery team is uniquely positioned as the only center in Suffolk County to offer a multidisciplinary approach to skull base disorders. Our team of experts includes neurosurgeons, otolaryngologists (ear, nose, and throat specialists), head and neck surgeons, radiologists, anesthesiologists, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, all with extensive experience in treating skull base disorders.
Conditions We Treat
At Stony Brook, We have the experience to know when a surgery will or will not benefit you, and after a thorough evaluation, we’ll recommend the most appropriate treatment plan. Our philosophy is to offer the most conservative treatment possible and to apply state-of-the-art procedures and technology when beneficial. Treatment plans are individualized to each patient's needs, and can include watchful waiting with close observation, medical therapies, chemotherapy, stereotactic radiation, image-guided surgery, minimally invasive and endoscopic techniques or open surgery.
Our Skull Base Surgery Center provides treatment for various skull base disorders, including:
- Acoustic neuromas: Non-cancerous tumors on the nerve that affects hearing and balance.
- Balance disorders: Conditions that make you feel unsteady or dizzy.
- Vertigo: A spinning sensation, making you feel like you or your surroundings are moving.
- Meurniere's disease: An inner ear disorder causing vertigo, hearing loss, and ringing in the ear.
- Temporal bone tumors: Abnormal growths in the bones around the ear.
- Meningiomas: Tumors that form on the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
- Pituitary tumors: Abnormal growths in the pituitary gland, affecting hormone production.
- Glomus tumors: Tumors that develop from glomus bodies, which help regulate blood flow.
- Vascular lesions: Abnormalities in the blood vessels in the skull base.
- Vestibular schwanommas: Non-cancerous tumors that affect hearing and balance.
- Trigeminal neuralgia: A condition causing severe facial pain along the trigeminal nerve.
- Facial nerve disorders such as Bell's palsy: Conditions causing facial muscle weakness or paralysis.
- Other benign and malignant (cancerous) tumors at the base of the skull
Physicians
No single surgeon alone can perform the complex procedures involved in treating skull base tumors and conditions. Our team's rare combination of expertise allows us to approach difficult-to-reach tumors effectively and to manage extensive exposure during surgery, leading to superior outcomes and better hearing preservation. The Stony Brook Skull Base Surgery team includes:
Treatments We Provide
Skull base surgery encompasses a wide variety of operations performed where the brain and neck meet. There are a range of surgical techniques that can be used to perform skull base surgeries, including open surgery, minimally invasive procedures and stereotactic radiotherapy.
We recognize that no single procedure or treatment suits every patient. Treatment decisions depend on the tumor’s type, size, location, growth direction, and the patient’s symptoms, health and personal preferences. We take the time to fully discuss your condition and your treatment options. From your initial appointment through post-operative care and follow up, we use a streamlined, collaborative approach to manage your condition — closely coordinating your care and monitoring your progress. We also coordinate any necessary aftercare, including rehabilitation services for speech, swallowing, balance or other related needs, if necessary.
After a thorough evaluation, we recommend the most appropriate treatment plan, which may include:
- Watchful waiting
- Medical therapies
- Chemotherapy
- Stereotactic radiation, which delivers precisely focused X-rays to treat tumors and vascular malformations
- Image-guided surgery
- Minimally invasive techniques, including endoscopic surgery, which uses smaller incisions to reduce pain, infection rates, and hospital stays
- Open surgery, which requires incisions to be made in the head and face, removing a small amount of bone for access
Various surgical approaches can be used to access tumors in different areas of the skull base region. Our team is particularly skilled in treating trigeminal neuralgia, a facial nerve disorder caused by a blood vessel pressing on the sensory and motor nerves, causing painful pressure. The goal of surgical treatment of trigeminal neuralgia is to decompress, damage or destroy the trigeminal nerve portion causing pain.
We offer percutaneous rhizotomy, a minimally invasive treatment in which the nerve is destroyed using radiofrequency energy; microvascular decompression, in which the neurosurgeon relocates or removes blood vessels compressing the nerve and then places a pad on the part of the nerve to protect from further compression; and stereotactic radiosurgery, a non-invasive treatment in which highly focused beams of radiation destroy the compressed portion of the trigeminal nerve while sparing surrounding tissue.
Each treatment has benefits and drawbacks, and we will work with you to determine your best treatment option.
Conditions We Treat
At Stony Brook, We have the experience to know when a surgery will or will not benefit you, and after a thorough evaluation, we’ll recommend the most appropriate treatment plan. Our philosophy is to offer the most conservative treatment possible and to apply state-of-the-art procedures and technology when beneficial. Treatment plans are individualized to each patient's needs, and can include watchful waiting with close observation, medical therapies, chemotherapy, stereotactic radiation, image-guided surgery, minimally invasive and endoscopic techniques or open surgery.
Our Skull Base Surgery Center provides treatment for various skull base disorders, including:
- Acoustic neuromas: Non-cancerous tumors on the nerve that affects hearing and balance.
- Balance disorders: Conditions that make you feel unsteady or dizzy.
- Vertigo: A spinning sensation, making you feel like you or your surroundings are moving.
- Meurniere's disease: An inner ear disorder causing vertigo, hearing loss, and ringing in the ear.
- Temporal bone tumors: Abnormal growths in the bones around the ear.
- Meningiomas: Tumors that form on the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
- Pituitary tumors: Abnormal growths in the pituitary gland, affecting hormone production.
- Glomus tumors: Tumors that develop from glomus bodies, which help regulate blood flow.
- Vascular lesions: Abnormalities in the blood vessels in the skull base.
- Vestibular schwanommas: Non-cancerous tumors that affect hearing and balance.
- Trigeminal neuralgia: A condition causing severe facial pain along the trigeminal nerve.
- Facial nerve disorders such as Bell's palsy: Conditions causing facial muscle weakness or paralysis.
- Other benign and malignant (cancerous) tumors at the base of the skull
