Dr Catherine Banks
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ENT Surgeon, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Australia
Dr Catherine Banks, MBChB FRACS (OHNS) ENT Surgeon, has specialised in adult and paediatric ENT with sub-specialty training in Rhinology and Anterior Skull Base Surgery. She has been appointed to the Court of Examiners for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons for ASOHNS.
Dr Banks is the supervisor of training at the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick and holds an NHMRC grant for her PhD Research in Sinus Stem Cell therapeutics. Her team at Sydney Children’s Hospital have been a recipient finalist in the 2025 NSW Health Innovation Awards for her recent Inaugural Sydney Endoscopic Orbital and Skull Base Workshop, where implantable expansile tumours were used to simulate tumours within the Orbit and Skull Base. |
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TONES: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Headed
Transorbital Neuro Endoscopic Surgery (TONES) has rapidly evolved from a novel concept to a vital adjunct in skull base and orbital surgery. Over the past five years, refinements in endoscopic visualisation, navigation, and instrumentation have redefined what is achievable through minimally invasive transorbital corridors. Once limited to decompression and biopsy, these approaches now allow precise access to the orbit, cavernous sinus, anterior cranial fossa, and middle cranial fossa with reduced morbidity and superior cosmetic outcomes. This presentation reviews the trajectory of transorbital surgery from early pioneering cadaveric studies and feasibility case series to contemporary multiportal and combined transnasal–transorbital strategies. Current evidence for safety, reconstruction, and functional outcomes will be discussed, illustrated through recent clinical cases including complex orbital and skull base pathology. Looking ahead, integration of augmented reality, robotic assistance, and biologically active scaffolds promises to further expand the limits of minimally invasive skull base surgery. The transorbital route stands at the forefront of this paradigm shift transforming how we approach the orbit and cranial base, and redefining boundaries between otolaryngology, neurosurgery, and ophthalmology.
