Pioneering base of skull procedures

Strategic priority: Leverage research, innovation and technology  

During the year we launched the Base of Skull Service (BOSS), the first integrated paediatric multidisciplinary base of skull unit in the southern hemisphere. The service utilises a new, minimally invasive surgical approach, using the nasal cavity as a passage to access the base of the skull and perform a variety of procedures including removing tumours.  

Previously, removing tumours at the base of the skull would involve removing part of the skull and exposing the brain. Now, it can be done with a single cut. This new technique helps significantly reduce pain and improve recovery times for children.  

"We now have the expertise to help kids in a way that we haven’t been able to in the past. We’re using minimally invasive techniques to get the access to remove tumours, but there are no external scars and the kids can recover and go home a lot quicker."

Dr Catherine Banks, Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick

The Base of Skull Service is supported by Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, who have contributed more than $2 million over three years to fast-track this transformative care.