Endoscopic Neurosurgery consists of two approaches -- transcranial and endonasal.
Endoscopic Transcranial Approach uses smaller caliber endoscopes. This is used for performing ventriculostomy (ETV) and septostomy for obstructive hydrocephaus and endoscopic transventricular biopsies for intraventricular, posterior third ventricular, thalamic lesions. In addition, tumors such as Colloid Cyst and intraventricular lesions as cysticercal cysts can also be excised using this modality. The benefit is that it avoid the need for placement of shunt (foreign body) in the brain and also avoid craniotomy and some cases as colloid cyst.
Endoscopic Endonasal Approach has expanded significantly. In this method, the nose is used as the corridor to access the skull base to deal with various pathologies as CSF rhinorrhoea, tumors such as esthsioneuroblastoma, meningiomas, Most commonly, pituitary adenomas are treated using this approach. This has made the surgical treatment of Pituitary adenomas safe and even large tumors can be safely removed using this method. In addition, endonasal odontoidectomy reduces significantly the morbidity of trans-oral approaches.
The HD camera, HD endoscopes and Neuronaviagtion make these procedures safe, precise and less morbid.