Abstract:Endoscopic transpterygoid process (pterygoid process, PP) approach is the basic approach for skull base surgery. The approach can be used to treat the following lesions alone or in combination with other surgical approaches. Those diseases were involved in the regions, such as lateral sphenoidal recess, pterygopalatine fossa(PPF), cavernous sinus(CS), orbital apex, Meckel’s cavity, middle cranial fossa, infratemporal fossa(ITF), petrous apex and petroclival region.However, the importance of the transnasalpterygoid approach has not been fully appreciated. Due to the complexity of the above structures, in recent years, the research of transnasalpterygoid approach reaching the above structures has become a hot spot in the skull base surgery. Previous studies have been limited to the relationship between the approach and the target areas of pterygopalatine fossa and infratemporal fossa. This article mainly reviews the research progress of the surgical approaches from pterygoid process to pterygopalatine fossa, infratemporal fossa, middle cranial fossa, cavernous sinus, Meckel’s cavity and petrous apex.
