UTHealth Houston Skull Base Program

UTHealth Houston
Skull Base Program

Physicians and staff at the UTHealth Houston Skull Base Program deliver integrated, multidisciplinary care to adult and pediatric patients through a single, coordinated pathway.

Expertise and Experience

Our fellowship-trained skull base team has many years of collaborative experience managing highly complex and rare conditions, with high-level expertise in both endoscopic and open skull base approaches. For diagnosis, patients have access to advanced imaging and subspecialties of pathology.

Advanced surgical and treatment capabilities include:

Minimally invasive and endoscopic skull base surgery, including the endoscopic endonasal approach
Complex open skull base procedures when indicated, including retrosigmoid/retromastoid, translabyrinthine, and transorbital approaches
Advanced intraoperative technology, including 4K HD digital visualization and navigation systems
Radiation treatment options that include stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), IMRT, and fractionated radiation therapy

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What Are Skull Base Conditions?

Skull base conditions can include tumors, cysts, blood vessel abnormalities, pituitary gland disorders, and other complex neurological conditions that affect the area at the bottom of the skull, where the brain connects to the spinal cord.

Because the skull base is located deep inside the head and includes or is near many critical structures, people will a skull base condition may experience headaches, dizziness, hearing loss, ringing in the ears, changes in vision, facial numbness, balance problems, difficulty swallowing, or hormone-related symptoms.

At UTHealth Houston, we bring expert neurosurgeons, neurologists, ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeons, endocrinologists, ophthalmologists and other experts together to develop a personalized treatment plan for each case.

Conditions We Treat

Streamlined Access and Care Coordination for Your Patients

You and your patients can access care through a single phone number and a digital referral form. We review all referrals promptly, and patients are contacted within two business days and seen within seven days when clinically appropriate. When possible, we see patients in same-day multidisciplinary visits. Cases are reviewed promptly by the Skull Base Clinical Review Board, with follow-up patient communication by the end of the same week.

Patient-Centered Experience

A dedicated nurse navigator and referral coordinator provide concierge-level support and integrated services, including social work. Our emphasis is on efficient care delivery that allows patients to return to referring physicians for ongoing management.

Why Refer to the UTHealth Houston Skull Base Program?

As a physician, you can count on true multidisciplinary decision-making while avoiding serial referrals; faster diagnosis and treatment planning; expertise in complex cases often referred after prior treatment or difficult diagnosis; and coordinated care that supports the care you provide and your patients’ needs.