Malignant Lesion of the Central and Posterior Skull Base

Evaluation of skull base lesions is challenging. On the one hand, the skull base is not directly accessible for clinical evaluation, and an underlying lesion is suspected or can be only roughly outlined based on neurological deficits. On the other, cross-sectional radiological studies are excellent in demonstrating a skull base lesion and its extent, but their evaluation is intimidating to the majority of the radiologists. There are three main reasons for the intimidation of the radiologists: The anatomical complexity of the skull base, the ability of normal anatomical structures to mimic pathology and the rarity of skull base lesions preventing dedicated training throughout residency and even during fellowship. In addition, inappropriate choice of an imaging study, imaging parameters and or sequences may amplify the insecurity of the radiologist.