Dennis H. Kraus, MD, FACS

I have considerable expertise in treating patients with tumors of the sinonasal cavity and base of skull. I am part of a multidisciplinary team comprising neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, pathologists, and radiologists who all specialize in these tumors. The team approach allows us to remove tumors at the base of skull while preserving critical structures such as the eye and brain. Increasingly, we perform this surgery endoscopically through the nose, thus avoiding the need for incisions on the face and head. When appropriate, we begin immediate reconstruction to enhance the patient’s appearance and improve function.

I am also interested in minimally invasive surgery for disease in the thyroid and parathyroid. Surgeons can remove these glands — in procedures known as thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy — using a minimally invasive technique that allows for smaller incisions and less chance of cosmetic deformity and post-operative pain. We have incorporated nerve monitoring into surgery to make the procedure even safer for patients and to avoid debilitating vocal cord paralysis.

In addition, Memorial Sloan-Kettering has a robotic surgery program to operate on cancers involving the base of tongue, tonsil, larynx, and pharynx. By using a surgical robot, surgeons can avoid disfiguring incisions on the face. The precision the robotic instruments allow will hopefully translate into improvement in speech and swallowing function, as well as preservation of critical structures. This technique has significant potential for use in the skull base and other sites, as the technology and instrumentation improves.

Outside of my clinical responsibilities, I currently serve as president of the North American Skull Base Society, secretary of the American Head and Neck Society, editor-in-chief of Skull Base Surgery Journal, associate editor of the Head and Neck Journal, senior examiner for the American Board of Otolaryngology, and chair of the Head and Neck Education Committee for the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery.