Book excerpt: The atlas covers the normal microsurgical anatomy of the central skull base as well as the pathological anatomy of the tumorous and vascular lesions of this region. The book gives a detailed description of the contemporary approaches to the individual pathologies in the central skull base which have evolved in the last 15 years. Complete or partial resection of the tumorous lesions, the exclusion of aneurysms and preservation of the patency of the internal carotid artery are given. A unique source of technical data and statistics that allows careful evaluation of the approaches to the region based on a precise understanding of the underlying anatomy.