2026 Proffered Presentations
S273: STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS REVEALS KEY PATIENT PRIORITIES FOR SELLAR/PARASELLAR AND ANTERIOR SKULL BASE RESECTIONS
Mack J Tempero, BS1; Amabir S Gill, MD2; Nicole Keller, BS1; Philip Chen, MD3; Toby O Steele, MD4; Jose L Mattos, MD, MPH5; Dennis Menjivar, BS1; Benton Tullis, MD1; Jeremiah A Alt, MD, PhD1; 1University of Utah, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery; 2University of Michigan, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery; 3University of Texas Health San Antonio, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery; 4University of California Davis, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery; 5University of Virginia, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Background: Patients are critical stakeholders, as they offer firsthand experience into their healthcare, which is invaluable to providers and researchers. Their feedback is valuable in informing relevant clinical care and research priorities. Despite the significant morbidity of skull base procedures, patient perspectives on health and research priorities are not well-elucidated. The objective of the present study was to obtain stakeholder feedback from patients who underwent endoscopic skull base tumor resections to inform future development of patient-centered tools and policies.
Methods: Patients who underwent endoscopic skull base surgery were prospectively enrolled from three academic medical centers: the University of Utah, the University of Texas Health San Antonio, and the University of Virginia. Cohorts were categorized as those patients who underwent sellar/parasellar or anterior skull base (ASB) resections. Demographic information, as well as key barriers to study participation and perceived surgical efficacy, were collected. The following quality of life (QOL) surveys were adapted to assess patients’ health and research priorities using a Likert scale of 0 [not relevant] to 5 [very important]: Skull Base Inventory (SBI), SNOT-22, and Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders-Negative Statements (QOD-NS).
Results: Sixty-two patients, 34 in the sellar/parasellar cohort and 28 in the ASB cohort, completed the questionnaires postoperatively. The higher the Likert score, the greater the stakeholder priority and interest in associated future directions. The sellar/parasellar group reported the following as their greatest priority: visual symptoms (2.7/5), energy level (3.1/5), and the need to blow nose (2.6/5). The ASB group prioritized nasal breathing (3.1/5), smell, and taste symptoms (3.2/5). Patients were also interested in future research focused on the side effects of skull base surgical outcomes, but were concerned with the time commitment.
Conclusion: Stakeholder feedback indicated sellar/parasellar patients prioritized vision and energy, while ASB patients prioritized olfaction and nasal breathing. This suggests a critical need for additional patient-centered skull base investigations to validate and build upon the findings of this study.