Lung problems after brain surgery done through the nose
Original title: A Prospective Case-Control Study of Intraoperative Factors Contributing to Silent Aspiration and Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
Doctors watched people during real surgeries, but this is not a treatment being tested.
The short version
Some people had lung trouble after surgery that reached the skull base through the nose.
What was studied. Doctors followed 101 surgeries that went through the nose to reach the skull base. They checked each person for lung problems in the 30 days after surgery.
What they found. Lung problems happened in 20.08% of the 101 cases. The main risks were a longer time with a breathing tube and more rinse fluid used during surgery. A group who had open skull surgery instead had a similar rate, 18%, but their risks were different.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Your surgery team may try to limit time on the breathing tube. They may also watch how much fluid they use to rinse the area. You can ask your surgeon how they handle this.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a new treatment or a cure. It is one study at one hospital that watched patients during care. It cannot prove these things caused the lung problems. It does not change what happens in the operating room today.
Source: PubMed, December 31, 2025 · Read the original
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