Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp. 2015;66(1):1---7 www.elsevier.es/otorrino ORIGINAL ARTICLE Endoscopic Transpterygoid Approach and Skull Base Repair After Sphenoid Meningoencephalocele Resection. Our Experience  Àngels Martínez Arias, a Manuel Bernal-Sprekelsen, b Elena Rioja, e Joaquim Ense˜ nat, c Alberto Prats-Galino, d Isam Alobid b,* a Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Universitario Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain b Unidad de Base de Cráneo, Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain c Servicio Neurocirugía, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain d Laboratorio de Neuroanatomía quirúrgica, Hospital Clínic, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain e Servicio de Otorrinolaringología Althaia Xarxa Assistencial, Manresa, Spain Received 4 February 2014; accepted 28 March 2014 KEYWORDS Skull base; Sternberg’s canal; Endoscopic sinus surgery; Cerebrospinal fluid leak; Meningoencephalocele; Sphenoid lateral recess; Transpterygoid Abstract Introduction and objectives: Cerebrospinal fluid leaks associated to meningoencephaloceles of the sphenoid lateral recess are rare entities. A congenital bony defect at this level results in the persistence of Sternberg’s canal, or a lateral craniopharyngeal canal, which is supposed to be the origin of these lesions. Our objective was to show that the endoscopic transpterygoid approach is an effective technique for their treatment. Methods: We present a series of 5 cases of meningoencephaloceles of the sphenoid lateral recess treated with endoscopic sinus surgery (4 women and one man; mean age = 59, range 37---72 years). Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea was present in all of them and they all under- went a transpterygoid approach with reconstruction of the skull base. We describe the surgical technique and review the literature. Results: No complications were observed during surgery or the postoperative period. After a mean follow-up of 81 months, only one recurrence was seen. Conclusions: The transpterygoid approach has proven to be effective for the treatment of meningoencephaloceles of the sphenoid lateral recess. Providing wide access to identify the defect, followed by meningoencephalocele ablation, is the key for successful surgery. © 2014 Elsevier Espa˜ na, S.L.U. and Sociedad Espa˜ nola de Otorrinolaringología y Patología Cérvico-Facial. All rights reserved.  Please cite this article as: Martínez Arias À, Bernal-Sprekelsen M, Rioja E, Ense˜ nat J, Prats-Galino A, Alobid I. Abordaje endoscópico transpterigoideo y reparación de base de cráneo tras resección de meningoencefalocele esfenoidal. Nuestra experiencia. Acta Otorrino- laringol Esp. 2015;66:1---7. ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: isamalobid@gmail.com (I. Alobid). 2173-5735/© 2014 Elsevier Espa˜ na, S.L.U. and Sociedad Espa˜ nola de Otorrinolaringología y Patología Cérvico-Facial. All rights reserved. Document downloaded from http://www.elsevier.es, day 27/04/2016. This copy is for personal use. Any transmission of this document by any media or format is strictly prohibited.