Retrosigmoid craniotomies are prone to postoperative complications, including wound complications, necessitating careful surgical closure. A modified Dandy stair-step technique was developed to address these concerns by ensuring a watertight seal, preserving the blood supply, sparing the muscles, and approximating the wound layers precisely under a cranial flap.
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change for audiologists; this is a surgical technique refinement relevant to neurotologists and skull-base surgeons only.
Reducing wound complications in retrosigmoid craniotomy — a key route for treating vestibular schwannoma and other skull-base conditions — can lower reoperation rates and improve patient outcomes across the multidisciplinary team.
- 01Evaluates a modified Dandy stair-step skin incision for retrosigmoid craniotomies.
- 02Primary goal is reducing postoperative wound complications in skull-base surgery.
- 03Published in Journal of Neurological Surgery B (2026).
- 04Complements other technique studies (e.g., layered muscle dissection) targeting the same complication profile.
- 05Practical relevance limited to operating surgeons, not audiologists or dispensers.
The modified Dandy stair-step incision reduces postoperative wound complications compared to standard incision approaches in retrosigmoid craniotomy.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42626736
- DOI
- 10.1055/a-2706-1385.
- Journal
- Journal of Neurological Surgery B
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Patients undergoing retrosigmoid craniotomy for skull-base pathology
- Intervention
- Modified Dandy stair-step skin incision for retrosigmoid craniotomy
Primary outcomes
Postoperative wound complication rate