Programme 

Cees Avezaat

Cees Avezaat graduated in medicine at the Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. After following an internship in general surgery and the national course in tropical medicine, he worked for three years as a medical officer in Bukumbi Hospital, Mwanza District, Tanzania. His prime interest was in psychiatry, but his surgical experience in the tropics made him realize that he loved to work with his hands. So, psychiatry became neurosurgery.

His neurosurgical training was at the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam (Drs. De Lange and Braakman), where he spent his entire career. His thesis was on the CSF pulse pressure and craniospinal dynamics. From this research he learnt that the Monro-Kellie doctrine holds almost true. His surgical focus was on cerebrovascular and skull base surgery.

He was active in several professional organizations and is an honorary member of the Neurosurgical Society of the Netherlands. He was awarded the WFNS certificate of recognition for his contribution to the organization of the XIth International Congress of Neurological Surgery.

After his retirement in 2007 he assisted his friend and ENT colleague Bernard Pauw in organizing the 9th ESBS congress in Rotterdam. He is still holding some advisory functions and recently he was involved in a project on promoting organ donation in The Netherlands. He and his wife Anneke have three sons and six grandchildren. On their vacations they enjoy hiking with rucksack and friends in France.

Jan Regelsberger

Kostas N. Fountas

David Choi

David Choi graduated from Emmanuel College, Cambridge and studied clinical medicine in Edinburgh. He underwent specialist neurosurgical training at the Glasgow Institute of Neurological Sciences, Atkinson Morley's hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London where he trained under Professor Alan Crockard. His clinical interests include clivus and craniocervical junction tumours, anterior skull base endoscopy, and complex spine surgery. He holds an academic post at the UCL Institute of Neurology, and was awarded a prestigious research grant from the European Research Council in 2009.

Derald Brackmann

Following high school graduation, Dr. Brackmann attended the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and then went on to medical school at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He was married after his freshman year in medical school to Charlotte Boyden, who was a music teacher in LaGrange during medical school. The highlight of medical school was a quarter that they spent in East Africa in a mission. It was an unforgettable experience.

After a year of internship and residency in Chicago, Dr. Brackmann was drafted into the Air Force and stationed in California. He had brief duty in Alaska and Thailand. After spending two Winters in California, they decided to stay there and he did a residency in otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the University of Southern California.

Dr. Brackmann has spent his entire career at the House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles, where he specializes in surgery of the inner ear. He has had a very rewarding career and has traveled all over the world. He continues to do so. He is still practicing full-time and intends to do so as long as he is enjoying it and is capable.

Charlotte and Derald has four sons, all of whom live in Southern California. They have six grandchildren and are hoping for more. He does take some time to hunt and fish with his family and friends.

Takeshi Kawase

Takeshi Kawase was borne in 1944 in Tokyo, Japan and studied in the School of Medicine, Keio University in Tokyo. He belonged to mountaineering club and rowing club in his university, loving challenging outdoor sports, and tried climbing up to Monte Rosa, the highest peak in Switzerland in 1968. After graduation he oriented towards neurosurgery, for the field seemed under developed in 1970, when there was no diagnostic imaging tools except for angiography and pneumography. Since 1977 he was working in an internationally active stroke center, Mihara Memorial Hospital for five years with a preference for vascular neurosurgery. In 1981, he clipped a ruptured basilar union aneurysm by the transpetrosal approach, the first trial in the world.

After he came back to Keio University as a faculty member, the approach was modified in the anterior transpetrosal approach in 1983 and reported in JNS in 1985. He gradually indicated the surgical method to petroclival tumors in his university in 1990, collaborating with ENT, plastic surgeons and ophthalmologists to develop new surgical methods. They organized Japan Skull Base Society in 1989, Asian-Oceanian Skull Base Society in 1991 and he managed their secretariats for many years. He was selected to be Professor and Chairman of neurosurgery in Keio University in 1996. He worked as the president of Japan Neurosurgical Society in 2004-06 and as the president of Japan Skull Base Society in 2005 for 6 years. He was given a position of the chairman of WFNS Skull Base Committee from 2001 for 8 years and contributed to the education of skull base techniques internationally. He was awarded the International Prize of JNS in 2007 for his activity and in 2009 was selected as the first vice president of WFNS, for his educational activity in developing countries. He continues his international educational working as an honorary professor, even after retiring from Keio University in 2010.

Malcolm Gunning

After a stint as medical officer for the British Antarctic Survey, I started anaesthetic training at Barts and the Homerton Hospitals in 1994. I spent 3 years doing research in ITU medicine at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital from 1997 to 2000. I was appointed as a consultant in anaesthetics at Charing Cross Hospital in 2003. I have recently been appointed as consultant in anaesthetics and intensive care medicine at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore. I was an Investigator for the Caudwell Xtreme Everest project between March 2007 and June 2007. This successful project carried out detailed physiological testing on over 200 volunteers in London and Nepal up to Everest base camp. In addition further original and detailed testing was carried out on a small group of climbers up to 8000 metres on Everest with arterial blood gas sampling at 8500 metres. We carried out tens of thousands of measurements and collected thousands of samples, many of them completely novel, for example muscle biopsies collected at Everest base camp. The group has subsequently published a number of papers in peer reviewed journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine.

Madjid Samii

Coming soon.

Paul Donald

Dr. Paul Donald joined the faculty of the UC Davis School of Medicine in 1973. He is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Director of the UCDMC Center for Skull Base Surgery. Additionally, Dr. Donald is Fellowship Program Preceptor for two fellowship positions within the department: head and neck oncologic surgery sponsored by the Joint Council for Approval of Advanced Training in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery and a fellowship in skull base surgery.

A board certified otolaryngologist, Dr. Donald received his M.D. degree from the University of British Columbia and did three and a half years of general surgery training. He completed his residency training at the University of Iowa in the Department of Otolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery in 1973.

Dr. Donald is an international lecturer and author whose principal clinical interests include head and neck oncology, laser oncologic surgery, surgery of the skull base and plastic and reconstructive surgery of the head and neck. Research interests include the pathophysiology of frontal sinus disease, the role of NCAMS in the biology of head and neck cancer as well as outcome studies in patients after head and neck surgery and skull base surgery.

Dr. Donald is very active in professional organizations. He is an active member and instructor of The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and has served on its Board of Directors. He is an active member of the American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society. He was on the Board of Directors for the American Society for Head and Neck Surgery. He was the AAFPRS Delegate to the American College of Surgeons Board of Governors for the 1992-1995 term. He was the Founding President of the North American Skull Base Society from 1989-1990. He served as President of the California Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Society from 1983-1989. He was Chairman of the Advisory Panel on Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery to the California Medical Association from 1983-1989. He is Co-editor of Current Opinion in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and is on the Editorial Board for the Skull Base Surgery Journal; and is Co-Editor of Current Controversies in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He is also a reviewer for the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Journal of the American Medical Association; and was editor of Epitomes of Progress, Western Journal of Medicine from 1983-1989. He received the Gold Medal of the city of Paris for his research work in Marijuana and Head & Neck Cancer in the Young in 1990 and the Semon Award from London University in 2005.

Jatin Shah

Professor Jatin P. Shah graduated from the Medical College of MS University in Baroda, India, and received his training in Surgical Oncology and Head and Neck Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He is Professor of Surgery, at the Weil Medical College of Cornell University, and Chief of the Head and Neck Service, Leader of the Head and Neck Disease Management Team, and holds The Elliott W. Strong Chair in Head and Neck Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Dr Shah is a national and international leader in the field of head and neck surgery, having served as President of The New York Cancer Society, The New York Head and Neck Society, The Society of Head and Neck Surgeons , The North American Skull Base Society and the International Academy of Oral Oncology.. He is Founder of The International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies, and serves as it's Chief Executive Officer (CEO). . He currently serves as Chairman of the AJCC task force on Head and Neck. He has served in varying capacities for The American Board of Surgery, and The American College of Surgeons.

Professor Shah has been the recipient of numerous awards from various parts of the world, and is the recipient of honorary fellowships from The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, London and Australia. He holds Honorary Ph D, degrees from Belgium and Greece. He is recipient of the Blokhin Gold medal, from Russia, and the "Ellis Island Medal of Honor", from the United States. He was recently named the Most Distinguished Physician for 2011 in the USA, by the American Associatiion of Physicians from India. He has been elected as an honorary member of several head and neck societies in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and Latin America. He has been continuously listed in the "Best Doctors in America" directories for the past two decades. He serves on the Editorial and Review Boards of 18 scientific journals and has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles, 60 book chapters and 8 books. His textbook of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology, now in it's 4th Edition, has won numerous prizes for the best published book in otolaryngology.

He is a much sought after speaker who has delivered over 1000 scientific presentations including, 67 eponymous lectures and keynote addresses, and visiting professorships in the United States,Canada,United Kingdom,Scotland,Sweden,Belgium,Netherlands,Germany,Italy,Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Russia, Croatia, Albania, Greece, Turkey,Egypt, UAE, South Africa, India, China, Korea, Japan, HongKong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Phillipines,Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Equador, Venezula, Panama, and Mexico.

Alan Crockard

Alan Crockard graduated from the Queen's University Belfast in 1966 and 3 years later entered neurosurgical training there a few months before the outbreak of "civil unrest". The Royal Victoria Hospital, situated in the centre of the troubled area, looked after the bulk of all injuries, civilian, paramilitary, police and military. Training emphasised a multidisciplinary approach and Controlled Ventilation of severe Head Injuries and Titanium Cranioplasty were developed in the early 1970's.

He moved to the Institute of Neurology London ( Welcome Senior Research Fellow 1973/4) and the University of Chicago ( first as NIH/MRC Fogarty Fellow 1974 then Assistant Professor 1975) He returned to Belfast as Senior Lecturer Neurosurgery until 1978 when he was appointed Consultant Neurosurgeon National Hospitals for Neurology and Neurosurgery. It was there that he became interested in Skull Base and Craniocervical pathology along with his collegues in Anaesthesia, Neuroradiology, ENT, Maxillofacial and Orthopaedic Surgery. A wide range of unusual pathology was attracted from afar allowing management protocols for these rare conditions to be established. Surgical Instuments for Transoral Surgery (Crockard) craniocervical fixation ( Ransford) and fireoptic endonasal anaesthetic intubation (Calder)had their beginnings in this group at that time.

In the early 1990's he spent more time developing cadaveric instruction for all surgeons and set up the Hill Surgical Workshops at the Royal College of Surgeons London and University of Western Australia, Perth. He was appointed Director of the Raven Department of Education at RCS London 1997-2003 and Professor of Neurosurgery in UWA 2001 and UC London 2002. From 2004- 2007 he was the Director of Modernising Medical Careers and responsable for the introduction of UK Foundation training after the undergraduate years.

He has authored over 350 scientific papers, 82 chapters and 4 books. He now spends a great deal of time sailing and, with his wife, watching and photographing birds.

Mikael Hivelin

Assistant University Hospital, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, CHU Mondor, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris University Paris Est Créteil (UPEC). Former Assistant Chief of Clinic-Hospital. Former Intern of Paris Hospitals - Laureat of the Faculty. DESC Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. Former Research Fellow (Professor Siemionow, Cleveland Clinic).

Richard Ramsden

Professor Richard Ramsden graduated in medicine at St Andrews University in Scotland a long time ago. His ENT training was in London at the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital and the London Hospital where he was greatly influenced by Andrew Morrison and by his co trainees David Moffat and Bill Gibson. He was appointed as Consultant Otolaryngologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary in 1977 and was awarded a personal chair in 1995. He has devoted his professional life to Otology, Neuro-otology / Skull Base Surgery and Implant Surgery. He belongs to the 1000/1000 club (1000 acoustic neuromas and 1000 cochlear implant operations performed) and has published regularly in both these fields. He developed a particular interest in NF2 and in ABI surgery. He retired from the NHS in 2008 but continues to work for them when the need arises and when the NHS can afford to pay him. He is still involved in a large number of research studies. He is the immediate past president of ENT UK and is the Master of the British Academic Conference in Otolaryngology to be held in Glasgow in 2012.

Jan Casselman

Medical formation 6 months at the University of Pretoria in the Republic of South Africa, rest at the University of Leuven, Belgium, became M.D. in 1983. Received his Radiological certificate in Leuven in 1988, did fellowships MR and Head/Neck Radiology in Los Angeles at the UCLA (Prof. Hanafee) and in Florida at Gainesville University ( Prof. Mancuso). Became a PhD in 1994 at the University of Ghent ,Belgium, with a thesis on imaging of the inner ear. Became responsible for MR and Head/Neck imaging and Neuroradiology at the AZ St-Jan Brugge hospital in 1989. Was nominated consultant radiologist at the St.-Augustinus hospital in Antwerp in 1999. Was president of the European Society of Radiology (ESHNR) in the period 1999-2002. Was appointed chairman of the department of radiology and medical imaging of the AZ St.-Jan AV Hospital in Brugge in 2004. Became Academic "stagementor" (in 2005) and Academic Consultant (in 2007) of the university of Ghent, received the European Certificate in Neuroradiology in 2006. Is section editor of "Neuroradiology" since 2006. He is author or co-author of 208 scientific publications, has given 867 scientific presentations in 40 different countries. Gave the Honorary "James Bull Lecture" in Harrogate in 2001. Received: "Summa cum laude" award at the ASNR in Atlanta in 2000 (CD on cranial nerves), Honorary corresponding membership of the German Society of Skull Base Surgery in Fulda in 2005, Honorary membership of the Royal Belgian Society for Ear, Nose, Throat, Head and Neck Surgery in Antwerp in 2008. He was appointed Guest-Professor in Radiology at the University of Ghent in 2011.

Jonny Harcourt

Jonny Harcourt is a dedicated Otologist and Neuro-otologist at Charing Cross and the Chelsea and Westminster hospitals in London. He has a close collaboration with the MRC vestibular unit at Charing Cross and has published on the diagnosis and management of a variety of Neuro-otologic subjects including vestibular schwannomas and Meniere's Disease.

Shakeel Saeed

Steve Connor

Dr Steve Connor is a consultant neuroradiologist and head and neck radiologist at King's College Hospital and Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital. He underwent a neuroradiology fellowship at King's College Hospital and gained head and neck radiology subspecialty training at the Royal National Nose, Throat and Ear Hospital. He has a busy head and neck radiology practice with a particular interest in otology, skull base and maxillofacial imaging. He is deputy editor for three journals and has published over 90 peer reviewed articles. He is secretary of the British Society of Head and Neck Imaging. He has given numerous invited lectures at national ENT and radiology meetings and reviews national neuroradiology and ENT radiology guidelines.

Mislav Gjuric

Mark Schwartz

Marc S. Schwartz, MD is a neurosurgeon, an associate of the House Clinic, and an adjunct scientist at the House Research Institute in Los Angeles. The primary focus of his practice and investigation is acoustic neuromas and other pathology of the cerebellopontine angle.

Tony Cheesman

Prof Tony Cheesman had a busy peripatetic career in London working at the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at Queen Square and Charing Cross Hospital.

He has now retired from active surgical practice but retains a teaching role as Visiting Professor of Otolaryngology and Skull Base Surgery at Barts and the London NHS Trust.

Throughout his career he has worked in close collaboration with a group of different neurosurgeons and is a firm believer in interdisciplinary cooperation.

He is interested in all aspects of skull base surgery. He popularised the use Anterior Cranio-Facial Resection for the resection of tumours of the nose and paranasal sinuses. His development of minimally invasive approaches led to increasing cooperation with neurosurgeons in the management of tumours of the floor of the anterior fossa. This in turn led to the development of extended resections of the central skull base.

Throughout his career he has had a busy practice in the management of vestibular schwannomas and was in the forefront of hearing preservation procedures. Following a fellowship with Ugo Fisch he retained a particular interest in the management of petrous paraganglioma. He took especial care in the prevention of swallowing problems, developing several modifications of the traditional infratemporal fossa approach.

He has been very active in the development of the specialty of Skull Base Surgery. He was a founder member of the International Skull Base Society and its Secretary 1996-2000 and subsequently with colleagues formed the World Federation of Skull Base Societies. He was the initial Honorary Secretary of WFSBS 2000-2004 and was one of the driving forces that have ensured its successful growth. He was also a founder member of the European Skull Base Society. He was a founding member of the British Skull Base Society and its President 1996-98.

Peter Clarke

I have been a Consultant ENT Surgeon at Charing Cross Hospital for 15 years where I am lead clinician for head and neck oncology and past chair of the West London Head and Neck Cancer Network. I have had a joint appointment with the Royal Marsden Hospital for almost ten years. I am an honorary Senior Lecturer at Imperial College. As well as a busy head and neck local and tertiary referral practice I have a large skull base practice operating on over 30 anterior and central skull base malignancies a year.

I have lectured widely on SVR, neck anatomy, neck dissection and skull base surgery and teach regularly on head and neck and skull base courses.

I am an elected member of the ENT UK Head and Neck group.

I have written or contributed to eight book chapters and over 50 peer reviewed papers

Dan Fliss

Professor Dan M. Fliss is a specialist in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and Maxillofacial Surgery Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.

Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Sackler School of Medicine Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv

Scientific Staff Member, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto Ontario, and The University of Toronto, Toronto Ontario, Canada.

Professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery The Faculty of Health Sciences Ben Gurion University, Beer – Sheva, Israel (1996).

Full Professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University ,Tel Aviv, Israel (2005).

President of The Israel Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, (2003)

Dominic Thompson

Dominic Thompson is Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and Honorary Lecturer the Institute of Child Health London England. He trained at Great Ormond Street, Atkinson Morleys Hospital and at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square London where he studied under Professor Alan Crockard. Doctor Thompson`s particular clinical interests are anomalies of the paediatric spine in particular disorders of the craniocervical junction and spinal dysraphism. He also has a subspecialist interest in the neurosurgical management of Moyamoya disease in children. He is a regular faculty member on International training courses in paediatric neurosurgery.

Michel Zerah

Jeremy Rowe

Jeremy Rowe trained in neurosurgery in Oxford before moving to Sheffield in 2001 specifically to pursue an interest in Gamma Knife radiosurgery at the National Centre for Stereotactic Radiosurgery. The Sheffield Unit currently treats approximately 1000 patients per year , 250 to 300 of which are vestibular schwannomas with a range of other skull base tumours also being treated. Reflecting this practice Jeremy Rowe has had an increasing interaction with both national and international skull base surgery societies and meetings.

Richard Irving

Richard Irving is a consultant in otology, neurotology and skull base surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Children's Hospital in Birmingham. He qualified form London University in 1985 and trained in ENT in London and Cambridge. During training he undertook research into the molecular genetics of vestibular schwannoma leading to the award of an MD in 1996. Following the completion of higher surgical training, Richard was appointed clinical instructor in neurotology at the University of California in San Francisco. He then took up his appointment in Birmingham in 1997. Richard has a broad clinical practice including implantation otology, chronic ear disease, vertigo, lateral skull base and vestibular schwannoma surgery. He has a particular interest in hereditary tumour syndromes involving the skull base and jointly runs a multidisciplinary facial palsy clinic. Richard continues to be active in clinical research, has over 100 publications on a variety of otologic and neurotologic subjects, and is heavily involved in postgraduate education and training.

Sam Eljamel

Professor Sam Eljamel, MBBCh, MD, FRCSIre, FRCSEd, FRCS(NS), Consultant Neurosurgeon at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School. Sam heads the academic department of neurosurgery at Dundee University and the Scottish PDT Centre in addition he is a member of the Health Technology Assessments- Interventional Procedures Panel (HTA-IPP) and the east of Scotland research ethics committee (EoSREC).

Sam is a member of AANS, CNS, EANS, SBNS, ASSFN, ESSFN, BSSFN, WSSFN, NASBS, IASP, IPA, BMLA, RSM and NYAS. He trained in Liverpool and Dublin having graduated with honours 1982. He spent a clinical fellowship in University of Connecticut and Hartford Hospital, USA. He gained his doctorate degree 1992 from Liverpool University where he studied the role of surgery and B2-transferrin in CSF leaks and was awarded MD with distinction.

Sam also has a busy commitment to both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. He filled the role of lead trainer and programme director for 10 years; he is lead faculty on the SCOTS Educational Supervisor Course, and member of the Board of Studies of the Medical School. He co-authored eight chapters, over 80 peer reviewed articles, associate Editor of Photodiagosis and Photodynamic Therapy, Functional Neurosurgery International, Scottish Universities Medical Journal, and Editor of Problem Based Neurosurgery. Sam had given hundreds of oral and poster presentations at local, regional, national and international scientific meetings. He has been invited faculty on treatment of Parkinson's disease during AANS meeting, robotics during Skull base meetings, Brain PDT during IPA meetings and chaired tens of sessions.

Barrie T. Evans

Barrie Evans has been a Consultant in Southampton for the last 25 years. Qualifying in Dentistry at Sydney University and Medicine at the Welsh National School of Medicine in Cardiff, his undertook his surgical training in Cardiff, London and Southampton. He is Honorary Consultant in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery to the Royal Navy and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Surgery to Southampton Medical School. Barrie is a member of the Editorial Boards for the British and the European Journals of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He has been an Examiner for the Intercollegiate FRCS Examination in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery since 2000 and is on the Intercollegiate Examination Board for this examination and represents Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery on the Internal Quality Assurance Committee for the Intercollegiate FRCS Examinations. Undergraduate and postgraduate education has been a career-long interest. He has delivered more than 150 invited keynote / eponymous lectures in various parts of the world and published 15 book chapters in addition to his contributions to peer-reviewed journals. Barrie was awarded the Downs Surgical Prize by the British Association of Oral and Maxilofacial Surgery (BAOMS) for his contribution to OMF Surgery, in 2006, and was President of the BAOMS in 2009. He has been involved in the treatment of skull base trauma and tumours since his appointment as Consultant in Southampton and is a founder member of the British Skull Base Society.

Nils-Claudius Gellrich

Chairman, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

Starting in 1982, Nils-Claudius Gellrich studied both dentistry and medicine at the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, Germany, with study periods in Bangor (North Wales/Great Britain, 2 months), Montgomery and Birmingham (Alabama/USA, 4 months) and Zurich (Switzerland, 4 months). After acquiring his license as D.M.D. in 1987 and as M.D. in 1989, he started his specialist training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany, in 1990. He obtained his board certification for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in January 1994 and the qualification in Regional Plastic Surgery in 1996. In 1997 he became the deputy of the chairman at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, rising to the position as Associate Professor in 2001. He is holding a chairman position at Hannover Medical School, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, in Hannover, Germany, since October 2004.

In the course of his career Prof. Gellrich was always very active in research. His major research interests focus on tissue engineering, traumatic optic nerve lesion, neuroprotection, computer-assisted planning using virtual models in craniofacial surgery and intraoperative navigation using non-invasive registration for reconstructive surgery. He was given several grants, mainly by the German National Research Foundation, for research in these fields. His work was already rewarded with several awards, for example the Hans-Pichler-Award of the Austrian Association for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 2000, the German Skull Base Society Poster Award in 2003 and the award of the DÖSAK (German-Austrian-Swiss Working Group of Head and Neck Tumors) in 2004.

Prof. Gellrich is an experienced lecturer and teacher. Apart from giving lectures for dental and medical students, he is a skilled instructor in oral and maxillofacial surgery, first at Bochum and Freiburg, now at Hannover Medical School, Germany. He has been invited speaker at numerous scientific meetings and conferences and faculty member and chairman at multiple national and international workshops and courses, especially on osteosynthesis, reconstructive craniofacial surgery, microvascular reconstruction and dental implantology.

Omid Majdani

Born 1971, Omid Majdani started his medical education at the University of Erlangen-Nurnberg, Germany and finished at the Free University of Berlin (today: Charité University Medicine Berlin) in 1999. The residency followed at the Hannover Medical School (MHH). In 2004 he performed his board certification in Otorhinolaryngology. Since than he has been working at the ENT clinic of MHH as a senior surgeon, initially as head of the team "Rhinology and anterior skull base," since 2010 he leads the team "Cochlear Implants, Skull Base and Orbita Surgery." His research interests are in the areas of image-guided surgery, minimally invasive approaches to the skull base, development of computer and robotic surgical techniques, optimization and functionalization of auditory implants

Michael Gleeson

Professor of Otolaryngology and Skull Base Surgery to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College Hospital, London. UK

Emeritus Consultant Otolaryngologist to Guy's, Kings and St Thomas' Hospitals, London, UK

Honorary Consultant Skull Base Surgeon to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, London, UK.

Professor Gleeson was born and educated in London. He studied both Dentistry and Medicine at Guy's Hospital, London, graduating with distinctions and a number of prizes. After internships at Guys' Hospital, he undertook preliminary training in Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery at the University of Southampton before returning to Guy's for his residency in Otolaryngology, Head & neck Surgery. In 1983, he was seconded to the University of Washington in Seattle as Chief resident to Professor Charles Cummings. He worked as Fellow to Professor Ugo Fisch in Zurich for Skull Base Surgery training in 1985. In 1994, he was appointed Hunterian Professor to the Royal College of Surgeons of England and a year later became Professor of Otolaryngology and Skull Base Surgery to Kings College London. In 2002, he was awarded the chair of Skull Base Surgery within the Institute of Neurology at University College London.

Throughout his career, Professor Gleeson has focused his attention on the skull base and parotid surgery. His major research interests have included inner ear histopathology, image guidance surgery and quality of life studies. To date, he has published 8 books, over 100 peer-reviewed papers and contributed in excess of 60 chapters to learned texts. He has delivered more than 200 presentations all over the world and received numerous awards from international societies. In 1992, with others, he founded the European Skull Base Society. Professor Gleeson has served as Editor-in-Chief of Skull Base: An Interdisciplinary Approach for over 10 years.

Patrice Tran ba Huy

Saleem Abdulrauf

Dr. Abdulrauf is the Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Saint Louis University.

Dr. Abdulrauf attended high school at Rockhurst in Kansas City. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at Washington University in St. Louis. He received his M.D. at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and did his residency in Neurosurgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Additionally he completed a fellowship in Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery at Yale University, where he was also on faculty in the Department of Neurosurgery. He subsequently was mentored by Professor M. Gazi Yasargil, widely considered to be the father of modern neurosurgery.

Dr. Abdulrauf is considered a leading figure in the field of neurosurgery in the treatment of cerebral aneurysms, vascular malformations, and skull base tumors. Neurosurgeons from around the world come to SLU throughout the year to be taught complex neurosurgical techniques by Dr. Abdulrauf. He has served as a visiting professor to over 100 universities around the globe. He has authored the main reference textbook for brain bypass surgery titled "Cerebral Revascularization" in which Dr. Abdulrauf details extra-cranial to intra-cranial bypass surgery. Additionally, he has pioneered a procedure for brain bypass that is named after him. This procedure allows high flow bypass to the brain, which is less invasive than standard procedures.

He has served on the boards of multiple neurosurgical societies including the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the North American Skull Base Society, and the World Federation of Skull Base Societies. His most preeminent role was his recent appointment as the inaugural President of the Walter E. Dandy Neurosurgical Society, which is considered the primary international society for operative neurosurgery. He has been named as one of the Best Doctors in America annually for the last eight years. Dr. Abdulrauf's opinion is routinely sought for the treatment of complex cases by neurosurgeons from around the world.

Laligam Sekhar

Professor Laligam Sekhar is the Vice Chairman of Neurosurgery and Director of Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle and has held office as President of the World Federation of Skull Base Societies from 2008 - 2012,. He undertook his training at the University of Pittsburgh under the leadership of Professor Peter Janetta, in Hannover with Professor Madjid Samii and in Zurich with Professor Ghazi Yasargil. On return to the University of Pittsburgh in 1984 he helped Professor Ivo Janecka establish the first Center for Skull Base Surgery in the World. Professor Sekhar played a key role in the founding of the NASBS, and served as its second President. He has been an active researcher in many fields, and is currently working in the areas of neurosurgical devices, and outcomes after Cerebrovascular and skull base operations. Professor Sekhar holds 4 patents and has published over 300 refereed papers in various journals, more than 100 book chapters, and has published 5 books. Professor Sekhar is very much interested in educating the next generation of surgeons, and leaders. In addition to his role as a resident educator, he has trained more than 100 fellows in cranial base, and Cerebrovascular neurosurgery from many parts of the world.

Stefan Brew

Neeraj Chaudhary

Anne Moore

Anne Moore is a Consultant Neurosurgeon at the Southwest Neurosurgery Centre, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth. She qualified from the Royal London Hospital, London, and trained in neurosurgery at Atkinson Morley's Hospital, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and Great Ormond Street Hospital, London. She spent 11 years as a Consultant at Atkinson Morley's Hospital before moving to Plymouth in 2003.

She was a founder member and first Secretary of the British Skull Base Society, with a particular interest in anterior and central skull base surgery.

In 1996 she was elected to Council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, on which she served for twelve years, culminating in two years as Senior Vice President, with responsibility for Professional Standards. Since 2010 she has been an Invited Member of Council of the Royal College of Surgeons in her role as President of the Society of British Neurological Surgeons.

Pierre-Hugues Roche

Pierre-Hugues Roche was born in 1967 and trained in France (Aix-Marseille Université) before starting his internship in Marseille. He completed his residency in 1997 under the guide of Pr William Pellet (Hôpital St Marguerite, AP-HM). During his fellowship he upgraded his skull base surgical techniques in the US (Duke University – T Fukushima & A. Friedman). He was appointed full professor of neurosurgery in 2004 and became chairman of the neurosurgical department at the North Hospital of Marseille in 2008. He is currently the vice president of the French Society of Neurosurgery, the French delegate of the training committee of the EANS and deputy chair of this committee. He sits on the board of Acta as associate editor for the reviewing of the "how I do it" section. He is (May 2012) the Editor in chief of the French journal of neurosurgery "Neurochirurgie". His clinical/scientific interests include Skull base tumours, Neurovascular and Neurotraumatology fields.

Lars Poulsgaard

Medical degree from University of Odense, Denmark. Consultant Neurosurgeon at the Department of Neurosurgery, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, with subspecialisation in skull base surgery and vascular surgery. Co-director of the Copenhagen Skull Base Course.

Iain Robertson

As a consultant I treat all aspects of neurological disease except in the paediatric age range. However I have specialised in the in the areas of skull base and pituitary surgery. This together with my interest in Neuroendoscopy has led to Endoscopic procedures in Pituitary and skull base pathology.

We now work in Multi disciplinary teams both in assessing and treating the patients.

I am particularly interested in the outcomes from skull base procedures and the optimum appropriate treatment. I have written 36 peer reviewed articles and currently am Associate Editor for the skull Base papers to be refereed in the Journal of British Neurosurgery.

Vincent Cousins

Vincent Cousins is an Australian trained Otologist – Neurotologist practising in Melbourne at The Alfred Hospital. He did post fellowship training in London and Germany in the 1980s. He has been involved in executive positions with Australian Society of OHNS and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and has a particular interest in surgical education and training and in skills acquisition. He is actively involved in outreach work and training in China and Papua New Guinea.

Rupert Obholzer

Jatin Shah

Professor Jatin P. Shah graduated from the Medical College of MS University in Baroda, India, and received his training in Surgical Oncology and Head and Neck Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He is Professor of Surgery, at the Weil Medical College of Cornell University, and Chief of the Head and Neck Service, Leader of the Head and Neck Disease Management Team, and holds The Elliott W. Strong Chair in Head and Neck Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Dr Shah is a national and international leader in the field of head and neck surgery, having served as President of The New York Cancer Society, The New York Head and Neck Society, The Society of Head and Neck Surgeons , The North American Skull Base Society and the International Academy of Oral Oncology.. He is Founder of The International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies, and serves as it's Chief Executive Officer (CEO). . He currently serves as Chairman of the AJCC task force on Head and Neck. He has served in varying capacities for The American Board of Surgery, and The American College of Surgeons.

Professor Shah has been the recipient of numerous awards from various parts of the world, and is the recipient of honorary fellowships from The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, London and Australia. He holds Honorary Ph D, degrees from Belgium and Greece. He is recipient of the Blokhin Gold medal, from Russia, and the "Ellis Island Medal of Honor", from the United States. He was recently named the Most Distinguished Physician for 2011 in the USA, by the American Associatiion of Physicians from India. He has been elected as an honorary member of several head and neck societies in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and Latin America. He has been continuously listed in the "Best Doctors in America" directories for the past two decades. He serves on the Editorial and Review Boards of 18 scientific journals and has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles, 60 book chapters and 8 books. His textbook of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology, now in it's 4th Edition, has won numerous prizes for the best published book in otolaryngology.

He is a much sought after speaker who has delivered over 1000 scientific presentations including, 67 eponymous lectures and keynote addresses, and visiting professorships in the United States,Canada,United Kingdom,Scotland,Sweden,Belgium,Netherlands,Germany,Italy,Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Russia, Croatia, Albania, Greece, Turkey,Egypt, UAE, South Africa, India, China, Korea, Japan, HongKong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Phillipines,Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Equador, Venezula, Panama, and Mexico.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions, and World Leadership in Head and Neck Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, has established The "Jatin Shah Chair in Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology", The International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies has established "The Jatin Shah Lecture", at it's world congresses, and the American Head and Neck Society has established the "Jatin Shah Symposium" at it's annual meeting.

D. Gareth Evans

Professor Evans has established a national and international reputation in clinical and research aspects of cancer genetics, particularly in neurofibromatosis and breast cancer. He has developed a clinical service for cancer genetics in the North West Region of England, which is nationally regarded. He is an important opinion leader nationally through membership of committees and was chairman of the NICE Familial Breast Cancer Guideline Development Group (2002-2010) and is now clinical lead (2011-). He lectures throughout the UK and internationally on hereditary breast cancer and cancer syndromes. He has given plenary lectures at many international meetings including the International Congress of Human Genetics and two invited lecture tours across Australia (1995, 2001). He has developed a national training program for clinicians, nurses and genetic counsellors in breast cancer genetics and established a system for risk assessment and counselling for breast cancer in Calman breast units implemented through a training course (1998-2011).

He has published 448 peer reviewed research publications; 163 as first or senior author. He has published over 75 reviews and chapters and has had a book published by Oxford University Press on familial cancer. He has an ISI web of knowledge H-index of 64 having only published his first article in 1990. In the last 5 years he has raised over £10 million in grants for multicentre and local studies – approximately £5 million to Manchester. He is Chief Investigator on a £1.59 million NIHR program grant (2009-2014) on breast cancer risk prediction and also has an NIHR RfPB grant as CI (2011). He has lead a successful bid for a Nationally funded NF2 service (£7.5 million pa) that started in 2010 and is involved in the national complex NF1 service.

Jeroan C. Jansen

Claire Hopkins

Miss Claire Hopkins is a Consultant Rhinologist at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, London, and is a member of the anterior skull base team. She has taught on the Guy's and Cambridge endoscopic skull base surgery courses, and is on the faculty for the forthcoming Barcelona course. She has a special interest in outcome assessment, having developed and validated several internaionally used patient-rated measures, including the SNOT-22, and was the lead clinician for the National Audit of Surgery for Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyposis. She is a peer reviewer for Skull Base Surgery Journal, and has published widely in rhinology.

Romain Kania

Romain E Kania, MD, PhD, Professor in Otolaryngology Head & Neck surgery is currently working at Lariboisière Hospital, Paris, a Tertiary referral centre for Head & Neck Disease. One of the main fields of expertise of this Universitary Hospital (Paris 7 University) is the Skull Base Surgery for which ENT surgeons and Neurosurgeons respectively lead by Prof Philippe Herman and Prof Bernard Georges actively collaborate together. The skull base unit has specific experience in lateral skull base and anterior skull base surgery focusing on the development of four hand techniques & based on the use of innovative technological equipments. It is now a referral and expertise centre for rare tumours of the head and neck.

Dennis Kraus

Dr. Dennis Kraus is an Attending Surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Professor of Otolaryngology at Cornell University Medical Center. He is the recent incumbent of the Stephen McDermott Chair of Surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. His clinical practice focuses on the management of head and neck oncologic disease. This includes cutaneous melanoma, carcinoma of the upper digestive track, thyroid and parathyroid surgery, salivary neoplasms, sinonasal malignancy and skull base surgery. Currently he serves as the immediate past President of the North American Skull Base Society and the Secretary of the American Head and Neck Society. He is the chairperson of the head and neck oncology education committee for the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, senior examiner for the American Board of Otolaryngology, and a member of the Board of Governors for the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Kraus is currently Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Skull Base Surgery Journal and Associate Editor of the Head and Neck Surgery Journal.

David A. Moffat

Consultant Neuro-otologist and Skull Base Surgeon at Addenbrooke's, Cambridge University Hospital and Associate Lecturer of the University of Cambridge. Hunterian Professor of Surgery. Mr Moffat has established the multidisciplinary Department of Neuro-otology and Skull Base Surgery with neurosurgical colleagues over the last 30 years. This is now one of the leading units in the UK and has international recognition. Past Chairman of The Intercollegiate Specialty Board and Panel of Examiners, past SAC member (Natioinal Higher Surgical Training Committee) and Past President of the Section of Otology at The Royal Society of Medicine, he was Chairman of The Otology/Neuro-Otology Committee of IFOS and on the Executive Board and UK representative for the BAO-HNS. He was Master of the British Academic Conference in Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (BACO 2006-2009) and on the Board of Trustees of ENT-UK.

Christian Matula

Anil Nanda

Dr. Anil Nanda is Prof./Chair, Dept. of Neurosurgery at LSUHSC-S has been the invited guest lecturer, visiting professor, and presenter at over 90 national institutions and 40 international venues. He has over 200 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and has published two books. Dr. Nanda has served as President of the Society of University Neurosurgeons, Southern Neurosurgical Society, Louisiana State Neurosurgical Society, and North American Skull Base Society.

Charles Nduka

Charles Nduka is a consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead. He specialises in facial reanimation and leads the multi-disciplinary Facial Palsy Clinic.

Michael Schulder

Robert Reisch

Bogdan Valcu

Simon Archibald

Thomas Hartkens

Andreas Maier

Vertigo: Diagnosis and Outcomes of Surgery and Non-Operative Therapies

The management of the vertiginous patient continues to evoke debate within and amongst the various medical specialties that are involved in assessing these patients. Furthermore the role of surgery is less well defined. This panel session draws upon the expertise of neurology and neuro-otology through short summary presentations from each panellist followed by a series of case presentations from the convenors that will highlight the areas of debate and controversy. Particular reference will be made to the role of de-afferenting surgery in disabling peripheral vertigo and semi-circular canal dehiscence syndromes versus focused active medical treatment

Diagnostic Radiology of the Skull Base

This round table session will focus on key and contemporary topics in skull base imaging that will include the contribution of cone bean CT to skull base imaging, advances in imaging syndromic and non-syndromic vestibular schwannomas and the role of MRI in demonstrating resectability of skull base tumours. The panelists are all world leaders and there will be ring-fenced time for discussion from the floor.

Hearing Preservation in Spontaneous Vestibular Schwannoma - How, For Whom and at What Price?

Hearing preservation is an important aspect of vestibular schwannoma management. Controversies exist regarding selection of patients that will eventually benefit from hearing preservation attempt, hearing preservation rates of different treatment modalities and long-term benefit of hearing preservation. The most reliable predictive factors of hearing preservation will be outlined and weighted against intraoperative information gathering. Decision making should incorporate patient perspective and occupation. Format: round table discussion, slide and video presentation. Learning objectives: to recognize which hearing is worth preserving. Which treatment enables best possible hearing preservation and at what price?

Management of Post-Operative Cranial Nerve Deficits

Rudi Fahlbusch will open the session, by considering some of the steps that can be taken to avoid complications. Ian Ganly is giving an in depth analysis of the reported complications for anterior skull base surgery. He will specifically look at whether complex primary repairs reduce complications or not. Complications of the lateral skull base are being discussed in several other sessions so we are concentrating on those arising from surgery to or adjacent to the jugular foramen. For the early management of the jugular foramen syndrome we rely a lot on our Speech and Language Therapists. Alison Perry will look at some of the ways that therapy can help these unfortunate patients. The final formal presentation will be by Ghuri Sandhu and he will update us on what can be done surgically to help patients with voice and swallowing problems. The session ends with an open forum. Participants wishing to join the discussion should email proftonycheesman@gmail.com with details of their proposed points to enable suitable time allocation.

What are the Limitations of Endoscopic Anterior Skull Base Surgery?

There is consensus that the treatment of most benign anterior skull base tumours can be treated endoscopically and there is increasing evidence that smaller malignant tumours limited to the sinuses and nasal fossae are also very well treated endoscopically and some of this evidence will be discussed. Malignant tumours involving, for instance, the skin, nasal bones or orbit will usually be best managed with open approaches. There are, however, a large number of malignant tumours that sit between these two extremes that pose difficult questions for the surgeon and it is the management of these tumours that this session will address.

Management of Congenital Skull Base Deformity

Small size, skeletal immaturity and a diverse array of rare congenital and acquired anomalies pose particular challenges in the paediatric age group. There is now an increasing literature pertaining to the genetics of skull base development and these have shed light on our understanding of many of the congenital malformations of both the anterior and posterior skull base. Many of the techniques of skull base surgery and endoscopy that were pioneered in the adult population are now being applied to children. This session is fortunate to have the input of some of the leading experts in this field who will discuss the challenges of paediatric skull base, the importance of multidisciplinary co-operation and the development of management strategies to treat these challenging disorders. David Dunaway will discuss his experience of congenital craniofacial and anterior skull base problems that present in association with syndromes of craniosynostosis and facial deformity. Dachling Pang has written extensively on developmental anomalies of the craniovertebral junction and eloquently discusses the range of clinical problems of this region from an embryological perspective. Michel Zerah is an internationally renowned paediatric neurosurgeon with extensive experience of the neurosurgical anomalies of the paediatric spine. Michel is the director of the ESPN teaching course in Paediatric Neurosurgery he will discuss acquired and oncological skull base anomalies on children.

Limitations and Future Role of Radiosurgery for Skull Base Tumours

This session will draw upon microsurgical, oncological and radiosurgical expertise. Different radiosurgical tools including the Cyber Knife, Gamma Knife and Linear Accelerator based systems will be reviewed in terms of their flexibility and reach, their use or avoidance of stereotactic frames for localisation and their application for single fraction or hyperfractionated treatments. These principles will be applied to the dilemmas faced in managing benign tumour pathologies including large vestibular schwannomas, glomus jugulare tumours and meningiomas of the cavernous sinus. The principles will also be applied to the management of malignant skull base tumours as there is an increase in demand for adjuvant radiosurgery treatments as part of the multli modality of this spectrum of disease.

Diagnosis, Documentation and Management of Facial Palsy

The presence of the facial nerve is a major factor adding to the stresses involved in being a lateral skull base surgeon. We do very few operations that do not require careful consideration of this structure. Key to appreciating facial nerve pathology is an understanding of the relevant imaging features. Swarup Chavda, who has a wealth of expertise in facial nerve radiology, will explain how to optimally image the nerve and the limitations to our current knowledge. The grading of facial palsy remains a subject hotly debated, and Brian O'Reilly will question the validity of commonly used approaches and present his original work. The session will be completed by a panel discussion using examples from clinical practice to debate further the investigation and management of facial nerve disorders. Audience participation will be encouraged.

Robotics in Skull Base Surgery, Where are We Now and Where are We Going?

This symposium will focus on the role of robotic surgery in the skull base combining recent advances in robotic engineering, telerobotic technology, MRI guidance and clinical applications highlighting major advances, recent progress, advantages and limitations of robotics in skull base surgery. The session will focus on improving surgical techniques and dealing with challenging surgical scenarios. These will be presented by international experts in this field, along with didactic presentations of demonstrative footage and scientific studies. In addition we will also have an interactive panel discussion on the role of robotics in skull base surgery. This promises to be another inspirational session!

Leaks, Aesthetics and Timing of Interventions in Skull Base Trauma

"The management of craniofacial / skull base injuries remains a challenge. Notwithstanding improvements in imaging allowing precise location of the nature and extent of skull base disruption there remains a lack of a lack consensus amongst surgeons in a number of areas. This Round Table will address some of these: - What cases should be selected for combined neurosurgical/sub-cranial repair. - When should combined repair be carried out in the context of a co-existing head injury? - Should persistent CSF leakage be the principal criterion for ACF repair - How can aesthetics be optimized following disruption of the ACF and orbits? Our speakers bring considerable experience to these discussions and we hope to provide the current evidence base for best practice in this fascinating area. "

Does Intra-Operative Imaging Improve Incomes in Skull Base Surgery?

This session focuses on the latest developments of imaging based workflow changes for modern skull base surgery. The aim is to look at a possible benefit of these technologies (intra-operative MRI, cone-beam scan, CT- scan, navigation). These methods of direct and indirect visualization of surgical steps and results are costly but increase intra-individual evidence of "You have to prove that you have been there". The latter is a prerequisite for modern interdisciplinary team approach where information exchange is required to – independently of language issues – communicate at the interdisciplinary interface. Competent speakers will discuss the pros and cons of these technologies.

Controversies in the Management of Paragangliomas

There is currently significant controversy about the best management of patients with paragangliomas. The identification of the genetic basis of the disease in some has highlighted the need for more conservative management plans in some and the need for surveillance of pedigrees. New surgical techniques have helped with tumours that were previously considered to be inoperable. Stereotactic radiotherapy may be more appropriate in select cases. This round table will update our current knowledge and index cases presented to debate best management strategies.

Preservation of Cerebral Blood Flow: is EC-IC Bypass Surgery Required and Effective?

Direct tumour involvement of the internal carotid or other major artery by infiltration or encasement remains a surgical dilemma despite recent advances in interventional techniques. Preservation of cerebral function is paramount and often I conflict with complete tumour resection. When dealing with benign tumours the questions that arise are 1) can the tumour be removed safely? 2) How to manage residual disease – radiotherapy? 3) When is bypass surgery indicated? 4) When can the artery be resected safely without a re-vascularisation procedure? When the internal carotid artery is involved by highly malignant tumour basic oncologic principles demand that it be removed. The questions that arise then are 1) should the carotid be occluded with or without reconstruction? 2) What are the likely outcomes following complex surgery? 3) Is there a role for endovascular stents?

Advances and Advantages of Vascular Interventions for Skull Base Tumours

Endovascular technology to access and treat skull base and intracranial pathology has improved in leaps and bounds over the past decade. Vascular head and neck tumours are surgically challenging to adequately resect given the inherent vascularity and busy anatomical location. Presurgical endovascular embolization has been performed to reduce the vascularity of such tumours in the head and neck to facilitate a complete surgical resection with minimal blood loss. Traditionally this was performed with endovascular particle embolization that was limited by caliber and vascular tortuosity of the arterial feeders. Presurgical embolization of such tumours has come of age with the advent of liquid embolic agents. The speakers will put forth a complete assessment of the rationale and advances in technique of percutaneous and endovascular embolization of Skull Base tumours with liquid embolic agents.

Education and Acquisition of Skull Base Skills

Our participants will advocate different methods of training in skull base surgery in both the developed and developing world. The advantages and disadvantages of each will be discussed in relation to the apprenticeship system and questions will be raised regarding the acceptability or otherwise of training on patients in today's world. The technical elements are only part of surgical training and we will discuss how laboratory trained surgeons will learn to deal with complications and patient issues such as quality of life. The question of accreditation in skull base surgery will be aired where this is in addition to accreditation in the parent specialty such as neurosurgery or otorhinolaryngology.

Incomplete Resection & How to Manage Residual Disease

Increasing focus is placed on functional outcomes in surgery. In Acoustic Neuroma surgery post operative facial function is arguably the most important to preserve. Efforts to ensure normal facial movement have led to an increasing trend to leave behind tumour if it is felt that function will be compromised. Will this strategy result in a growing number of patients requiring further intervention? Our experts will explore this strategy and discuss their and others experience in managing these patients to try to determine appropriate treatment plans for residual disease.

Skin in the Wrong Place

Cholesteatoma can be the cause of significant skull base disease via its ability to erode bone or its tendency to permeate the air spaces of the middle ear cleft and to spread within the sub-arachnoid space. This session will discuss cholesteatoma involving the temporal bone and that extending intracranially. We will also look at the newer forms of imaging of this disease and how they can assist in the assessment and management of this often extensive and aggressive condition.

Are We Measuring the Right Indices and Collecting the Right Data?

"This session aims to review the changing goals of skull base surgery and how we measure success. Following an introduction, Ziv Gil will discuss progress in Skull base surgery for malignant tumors. Per Cayé Thomasen will address the management of Vestibular Schwannomas in particular when to treat and at what cost. Snehal Patel will discuss Patient and Physician's expectations of QOL and how should we measure it. The session will be structured with time for an interactive discussion and questions."

Risk Management in Tumour Predisposition Syndromes

NF2, VHL and hereditary Paraganglioma are autosomal dominant tumour predisposing conditions caused by mutations in the NF2, vHL and SDHD/SDHB genes. Individuals who inherit a mutant copy almost inevitably develop related tumours: schwannomas, haemangioblastomas and paragangliomas at some time in their lives. Most individuals develop multiple tumours. Management of these conditions ideally requires a multidisciplinary team approach involving: neurosurgeons, otolaryngologists, neurologists, neuroradiologists and geneticists. We will discuss assessment of the at risk patient with genetic analysis and surveillance with MRI. Exclusion from risk with genetic testing obviates the need for ongoing screening.

New Techniques and Application in Anterior Skull Base Endoscopic Surgery

The aim of this session is to review some of the emerging techniques in reconstructing the anterior skull base, and how this allows us to extend our endoscopic limits. Expanded approaches require increasingly large reconstructions, and there is a fine balance between what can be resected but also adequately repaired with endoscopic techniques. We will also consider how it is necessary to re-evaluate our anatomical understanding of the anterior skull base in view of new approaches.

Dilemmas in the Management of Lateral Skull Base Malignancy

This panel will explore dilemmas in the management of lateral skull base malignancy. The major pathology is squamous cell carcinoma and following an introduction highlighting the often late presentation, the importance of the loco-regional anatomy and the aggressive nature of this pathology various critical aspects in the management will be elucidated. Tumours intrinsic to the temporal bone and lateral skull base as well as extrinsic tumours invading this anatomical region will be discussed. The recent vital awareness of the significance of peri-neural spread and its surgical management will be demonstrated by a world leader on this aspect of the pathology.

The surgery for infratemporal fossa tumours has always been an anatomical challenge for the skull base surgeon and innovative approaches to this site have minimised morbidity.

The reconstruction of large skull base defects has been revolutionised by the use of microvascular anastomosis and free flaps but there is still a place for local and pedicled flaps in some cases.

Management of Orbital Meningiomas

Orbital meningiomas pose formidable challenge to the operating surgeon. In two thirds of cases, the orbital involvement is secondary. The origin of meningioma could then be around medial wing of sphenoid or its alla. In others, these tumors primarily involve orbit with or without secondary involvement of adjacent structures. They usually present with proptosis, decreased vision or restriction of ocular movements. In children these tumors behave more aggressively with extension to adjacent structures. The management options are endovascular embolisation, stereotactic radio surgery, and surgical resection using Neuronavigation. The treatment of optic nerve sheath meningioma differs from secondary orbital meningiomas. In these tumors, unlike secondary meningiomas, conservative management with follow-up is also an option. The "territorial boundaries" of management of these tumors revolves between neurosurgeons and ophthalmologists and also becomes a topic of contention. Harvey Cushing cognized it in 1938 "[In] recent years, the ophthalmic surgeon, the earliest surgical specialist, and the neurosurgeon, the latest, have from the opposite directions come to meet at the barrier of the optic foramen -- each somewhat hesitant to trespass on the other's field of work.

Surgical Management of Facial Palsy and Rehabilitation

Surgical rehabilitation of the paralysed face involves the near-impossible goals of restoring symmetry, achieving spontaneous voluntary movement whilst minimising surgical stigmata. This session covers the range of low- morbidity techniques applied to smile restoration and eye protection. Controversies that will be discussed include the use of end-to-side neurorrhaphy in facial reanimation, and whether lid loading with gold weights are really necessary.

Debate: The management of skull base meningiomas

Skull base meninigomas continue to be a challenging clinical problem. Historically viewed as "no man's land" these tumors were aggressively resected and now the pendulum seems to have swung towards minimal invasive endoscopic measures as well as primary or adjuvant radio surgery. The panel will discuss the entire spectrum of management of skull base meningiomas from aggressive resection to minimal skull base invasive approaches and radiosurgery. Clincial case vignettes will be presented to the audience and views will be collated electronically to show management dilemmas and directions for the future for skull base surgery.

What are the Relative Roles of Surgery and Radiotherapy for Central Skull Base Tumours?

Surgery for skull base tumours has evolved dramatically over the past few decades, hand-in-hand with new technologies – microscopes, real-time imaging, computer navigation systems, endoscopes, to name a few. But novel radiation techniques have also rapidly emerged – IMRT, Gamma knife, Cyberknife, Protons, Heavy particles – and this explosion of choices can lead to treatment dilemmas for the clinician and patient. In this session, seven world experts review the pathology, imaging, surgical options, and radiation modalities for skull base tumours. The panel will then discuss the management of selected case presentations, with interactive audience participation and debate.

Consensus and Conflict in the Management of Patients with NF2

Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) is a rare, inherited neurocutaneous condition that is associated with tumour formation. The hallmark is bilateral vestibular schwannomas and the multi-disciplinary team is pivotal in the management of complex patients with multiple symptomatic tumours. The aim of this session is to provide an overview of the NF2 phenotype and to highlight the current treatment options. International NF2 experts will explain the NF2 phenotype and show how advances in molecular biology have facilitated an understanding of disease mechanisms and the development of novel treatments. The role of surgery, hearing preservation, gamma knife radio-surgery and Bevacuzimab will be discussed.

Skull Base Controversy - International Opinion

Satellite Symposium sponsored by CODMAN – Johnson & Johnson

Introduction

Chairman: Professor Alan Crockard

Surgical approaches to intradural tumours at the cranio cervical junction

Speaker: Priv.Doz. Dr. Jan Regelsberger

Assessing stability and correcting instability at the cranio vertebral junction following tumour surgery.

Speaker: Associate Professor Kostas Fountas

Overview, closing remarks and Q&A session

Chairman: Professor Alan Crockard

Satellite Symposium sponsored by Brainlab

Optimizing Outcomes For Skull Base Tumor Patients

WORKSHOP CHAIRMAN

Michael Schulder, MD PhD, New York, USA
"Integration of Radiosurgery in the Surgical Mitigation of Benign Skull Base Tumors"

Dr Schulder is the director of the Brain Tumor Institute and vice-chairman of Neurosurgery at North Shore University Hospital, and professor of Neurosurgery at the Hofstra University School of Medicine.

FEATURED PRESENTERS

Robert Reisch, MD PhD, Zuerich, Switzerland
"Intraoperative CT in endoscopic Skull Base Surgery"

Bogdan Valcu, Brainlab
"A Vision: How Software could help to treat Skullbase Lesions with a combined microsurgical and radio oncological approach"

Satellite Symposium sponsored by Integra

Dural Repair Lunch Seminar animated by Dr. Simon Archibald, Chief Scientific Officer Integra LifeSciences

Scientific program:

• Presentation of Integra Lifesciences
• History of Collagen and DuraGen® product family
• Use of DuraGen® family in cranial procedures and clinical results
• Use of DuraGen® family in spinal procedures and clinical results
• Open discussion

Will robots revolutionize intra-operative 3D imaging?

Intra-operative C-arm imaging has changed dramatically in recent years.

High-powered, angiographic, C-arms have been mounted on robots and adapted to the workflow of surgeons to provide unique flexibility and precision.

Recent technical advancements enable not just CT-like 3D imaging with soft tissue differentiation, but even functional imaging, in real time, actually in the operating theatre. Integrated navigation systems allow automated image registration, which increases accuracy and speeds up the surgical workflow. Most recently, new acquisition protocols have been developed that provide 3D images in the operating theatre with much higher spatial resolution than standard CT scanners.

Siemens Healthcare will report on recent innovations in intra-operative imaging and indicate applications for Skull Base Surgery. An informed and detailed discussion will explore the impact of these new technologies on Skull Base Surgery in the future.

Timetable

12:00 - 12:12
ROBOTIC 3D IMAGING IN THE OR: A REVOLUTION IN C-ARM TECHNOLOGY
Dr. Thomas Hartkens, Siemens AG

12:12-12:24
WILL HIGH-RESOLUTION CONE-BEAM CT SPARK NEW WORKFLOWS IN SKULL BASED SURGERY?
Dr. Andreas Maier, Siemens AG

12:24-12:30
PLENUM DISCUSSION TO EXPLORE THE IMPACT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR SKULL BASED SURGERY.