Anterior Midline Skull Base Meningiomas: A Systematic Review of Resection Rates, Functional Outcomes, and Perioperative Complications Following Contemporary Endoscopic Endonasal Versus Transcranial Approaches.

Objectives

Anterior midline skull base meningiomas, such as olfactory groove meningiomas (OGMs), planum sphenoidale meningiomas, and tuberculum sellae meningiomas pose significant surgical challenges due to their proximity to neurovascular and olfactory structures. The widespread use of the vascularized nasoseptal flap (NSF) has expanded the role of the endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA). This systematic review compares outcomes of EEA and the transcranial approach (TCA) in the NSF era.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched following PRISMA guidelines for studies published January 2010 and August 2025 comparing EEA and TCA for OGMs and tuberculum sellae/planum sphenoidale (TS/PS) meningiomas with NSF reconstruction. Thirty-five studies (1866 patients) were included and outcomes were stratified by tumor subtype.

Results

Gross total resection (GTR) exceeded 90% across both approaches. EEA was associated with superior visual improvement in TS/PS meningiomas, particularly with optic canal involvement, while TCA resulted in better olfactory preservation in OGMs. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak rates have declined substantially with vascularized NSF reconstruction, especially for TS/PS meningiomas.

Conclusions

Both EEA and TCA achieve high GTR rates for anterior midline skull base meningiomas. EEA provides advantages for visual outcomes in TS/PS meningiomas, whereas TCA are favored for olfactory preservation in OGMs. Approach selection should be individualized based on tumor anatomy and functional priorities.