Back to the Egyptians: neurosurgery via the nose. A five-thousand year history and the recent contribution of the endoscope.

The possibility of removing the brain through the nose without disfiguring the face was already known to the ancient Egyptians, who were experts in using this approach in the mummification process. A similar route through the nose and the sphenoid bone has been developed in the last century as a surgical procedure for the treatment of tumors of the pituitary region, which makes the more invasive craniotomy unnecessary in most cases. This has resulted in a significant decrease of the overall mortality and morbidity rates and has led to the great popularity of such minimally invasive surgery both for patients and doctors. The recent advent of the endoscope in this specific field and the development of further possibilities and instrumentation has contributed to a new renaissance of this old treatment modality.