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This kind of surgery may be done to:

• Remove a tumor or other growth in the pituitary gland, sinuses, or brain

• Stop leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

• Treat an infection that won’t go away

• Treat problems affecting the optic nerve

• Repair a problem with blood vessels in the brain called arteriovenous malformation (AVM)

The treatment is done in a hospital, and may take several hours. During the procedure:

• You lie on a surgery table. You’re given medicine to make you sleep through the treatment.

• The surgeon puts a thin, stiff tube called an endoscope into your nose and sinuses. The scope is narrow and fits through natural gaps in these areas. The scope has a light and a camera. Images from the camera are sent to a computer screen.

• The surgeon also puts small surgery tools through your nose. This is often done through the same nostril as the scope. The tools are used to remove a tumor or treat the problem area as needed. The surgeon may remove or cut parts of bone on the underside of the skull or other tissue during the treatment.

• When the surgery is done, the surgeon removes the tools and scope. Your nose and sinuses may be filled with nasal packing. This is material that will be removed in a day or two. You’ll be in the hospital one or more nights after surgery.

• A newer technique offers 3-D viewing to give the surgeon a better understanding of the space and what he or she is seeing on a computer screen.

The risks of endoscopic endonasal surgery include:

• CSF leaking from the nose

• Excess bleeding

• Damage to blood vessels and nerves in the area

• Pain

• Crusting of the inside of the nose and sinuses that lasts for weeks or months

• Trouble breathing through the nose

• Reaction to anesthesia

• Infection of the covering of the brain and spinal cord (meninges)