Objectives. The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency and the causes of the intra- and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks and to discuss the sella closure methods. Methods. During the period from 1995 to 2005, 313 patients underwent 356 transsphenoidal operations for pituitary adenoma. Microadenoma was found in 80 (22.5%) cases, and in 276 (77.5%) cases, macroadenoma was removed. Two different methods to close the sella were used. The first one consisted packing the sella turcica and sphenoidal sinus with autologous fat and restoring the defect of sella turcica with autologous bone. In more resent practice, the regenerated oxidized cellulose (Surgicel®) and collagen sponge with human fibrin (TachoSil®) were used to cover the sella membrane defect, followed by packing the sella with autologous fat and covering the dural defect with Surgicel® and TachoSil®. Results. Adenoma was totally removed in 198 (55.6%) cases out of 356. Microadenoma was totally removed in 91.3% and macroadenoma in 45.3% of cases, respectively. Postoperative complications were noted in 40 (11.2%) patients. Two (0.6%) patients died after surgery. Intraoperative CSF leakage was observed in 58 (16.3%) cases. Postoperative CSF leakages were observed in 3 cases, when the method of packing the sella with just autologous fat was used, whereas in 29 cases when the sella fat packing was used together with Surgicel® and TachoSil® to cover the sella membrane and dural defects, no postoperative CSF leakages were observed. Conclusions. The technique of covering the sella membrane and dural defects with Surgicel® and TachoSil® in the presence of intraoperative CSF leakage appeared to be the most reliable one, as no postoperative CSF leakage applying this technique has been observed.
Objective. The aim of this study was to explore the long-term outcomes of surgery for transsphenoidal prolactinomas and the factors that influence them. Material and methods. Transsphenoidal approach for pituitary adenomas has been applied to 329 patients in the Department of Neurosurgery of Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital in the period of 1995 to 2006. Of these, 85 patients were operated for prolactinomas. Results. Of the 85 patients operated on for prolactinomas, 68 (80%) were females and 17 (20%) were males. Thirty-two microprolactinomas and 36 macroprolactinomas were diagnosed in women and 16 and 1, respectively, in men. Twenty (23.5%) patients (16 women and 4 men) had visual field defects before the operation. Dopamine agonist therapy was administered in 50 patients (38 women and 12 men) before the operation. Of 10 women, in whom microadenoma was diagnosed and no dopamine agonist therapy was prescribed, remission was achieved in 9 (90%) patients after the operation, while of 22 women, who was treated with dopamine agonists before the operation, remission was achieved only in 10 (45.5%) (P=0.01). Each year of age decreased the chance of remission by 8%. Conclusions. Remission after the surgical treatment was achieved in 11.8% of men and 47.1% of women hyperprowith prolactinomas. Remission rate was very high (90%) among women with microprolactinoma not treated with dopamine agonist before the surgical treatment. The probability of a good outcome of surgery among women with prolactinoma was related to younger age of the patient, noninvasive tumor growth, plasma prolactin level less than 2309 mU/L, and no use of dopamine agonist before the surgical treatment.
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