Malpractice in Skull Base Surgery

Skull base surgery bridges the junction of extracranial and intracranial pathology and presents unique challenges that must be managed in a multidisciplinary manner. Profound and debilitating complications such as cranial neuropathies, cerebrospinal fluid leak, meningitis, disequilibrium, hearing loss, orbital injury, and cerebral injury must be navigated to provide comprehensive treatment for a variety of conditions. Malpractice most often arises as a consequence of the unexpected – diagnosis, outcome, or complication – but not all of these events lead to malpractice claim or litigation. Within skull base surgery, there are a number of secondary factors that significantly influence the likelihood of litigation. This chapter highlights several of them and introduces fundamental strategies to avoid malpractice and, more importantly, provide the best patient care.