Central Skull Base

The central skull base is a complex anatomic region of the head and neck, which is a conduit for numerous important vessels and nerves. A variety of developmental lesions and pathologic entities are found in this region, with pathologies including infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic etiologies. MR and CT imaging are complementary in the evaluation of the complex anatomy and pathology of the central skull base. This section will provide a brief review of the anatomy of the central skull base, followed by an overview of the most common developmental lesions and pathologies encountered in this region and their characteristic imaging features.