Training the skull base surgeon of the future: a comprehensive approach.

The tremendous advances in endoscopic skull base surgery added a new set of intricate less invasive approaches to the neurosurgical armamentarium. The new generations of neurosurgeons face the challenge of adopting the ever-changing technology and quickly learning modern surgical techniques beyond the traditional neurosurgery comfort zone. The future skull base surgeon must be well trained and knowledgeable in all surgical portals to the skull base in order to select the safest, least invasive, most direct approach that offers the optimum exposure to handle a complex skull base pathology. The multi-portal/corridor philosophy is often adopted in order to achieve superior surgical and clinical outcomes. Neurosurgeons need to consider such an approach when appropriate as it may offer a superior outcome while minimizing the morbidity associated with large exposures.