The authors investigate the complications of transnasal transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery in the treatment of 301 patients with pituitary adenomas. A retrospective analysis of complications in 301 patients submitted to transsphenoidal transnasal endoscopic surgery at the General Hospital of Fortaleza, Brazil between January 1998 and December 2009. The complications were divided in two groups: anatomical (oronasofacial, sphenoid sinus, intrasellar, suprasellar and parasellar) and endocrinological complications (anterior and posterior pituitary dysfunctions). We observed a total of 81 complications (26.9%) in our series. Anatomical complications occurred in 8.97% (27 cases): 8 CSF postoperative leaks (2.6%), 6 cases (1.9%) of delayed nasal bleeding, 5 cases (1.6%) of sphenoidal sinusitis, 3 cases (0.9%) of carotid artery lesion, 2 cases of meningitis (0.6%) and one case (0.3%) of each of the uncommon following complications: intrasella-suprasella hematoma, pontine hematoma and chiasmaplexy. Endocrinological complications occurred in 17.9% (54 cases): additional postoperative anterior lobe insufficiency in 35 cases (11.6%), and postoperative diabetes insipidus in 19 cases (6.3%). In our series, 3 cases of deaths (not directly related to the procedure) were also observed. Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery represents an effective option for the treatment of patients with pituitary tumor. Complications still occur and must be reduced as much as possible. Successful endoscopic pituitary surgery requires extensive training in the use of an endoscope and careful planning of the surgery. Additional improvement can be expected with greater experience and new technical developments.

Pituitary tumors are challenging tumors in the sellar region. Surgical approaches to the pituitary have undergone numerous refinements over the last 100 years. The introduction of the endoscope have revolutionized pituitary surgery. The aim of this study is to report the results of a consecutive series of patients undergoing pituitary surgery using a pure endoscopic endonasal approach and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this procedure. We reviewed the data of 228 consecutive patients who underwent endonasal transsphenoidal adenoma removal over an 10-year period. Pre- and post-operative hormonal status (at least 3 months after surgery) were analyzed and compared with clinical parameters presented by the patients. Tumor removal rate, endocrinological outcomes, and complications were retrospectively assessed in 228 patients with pituitary adenomas who underwent 251 procedures between December 1998 and December 2007. There were 93 nonfunctioning adenomas, 58 growth hormone-secreting, 41 prolactin-secreting, 28 adrenocorticotropin hormone secreting, 7 FSH-LH secreting and 1 thyroid-stimulating hormone-secreting adenomas. Gross total removal was achieved in 79.3% of the cases after a median follow-up of 61.5 months. The remission results for patients with nonfunctioning adenomas was 83% and for functioning adenomas were 76.3% (70.6% for GH hormone-secreting, 85.3% for prolactin hormone-secreting, 71.4% for ACTH hormone-secreting, 85.7% for FSH-LH hormone-secreting and 100% for TSH hormone-secreting), with no recurrence at the time of the last follow-up. Post-operative complications were present in 35 (13.9%) cases. The most frequent complications were temporary and permanent diabetes insipidus (six and two cases, respectively), syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (two cases) and CSF leaks (eight cases). There was no death related to the procedure in this series. The endoscopic endonasal approach for resection of pituitary adenomas, provides acceptable results representing a safe alternative procedure to the microscopic approach. This less invasive method, associated with a small number of complications, provides excellent tumor removal rates and represents an important tool for the achievement of good results in the pituitary surgery, mainly for the complete removal of large adenomas.

The objective of this study is to analyze the presence of headache in pituitary tumors and their characteristics, the relationship between pituitary tumor size, biological type, local extension and intrasellar pressure (ISP). This is a prospective study, of 64 consecutive patients presenting with primary pituitary masses at Neuroendocrinological Department of General Hospital of Fortaleza from October 2005 to December 2006. We analyzed sex, age, headache (laterality, site, severity, quality, frequency, duration, associated symptoms, time of onset, trigger, alleviating factors and familial history) and tumor characteristics (type, size, quiasmatic compression, cavernous sinus invasion, sella turcica destruction, cystic or solid mass and ISP). We observed a statistic significant factor between pituitary tumor and tumor size, optic compression, sellar destruction, cavernous sinus invasion and ISP. Biochemical-neuroendocrine factors, mainly in prolactinomas, seem to be an important factor in the determination of headache. The presence of headache in pituitary tumor is related to a combination of factors, including ISP, tumor extension, relationship with the sellar structures, patient predisposition, familial history, and functional disturbance within the hypothalamo-pituitary axis.

Object Acromegaly is a chronic disease related to the excess of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor–I secretion, usually by pituitary adenomas. Traditional treatment of acromegaly consists of surgery, drug therapy, and eventually radiotherapy. The introduction of endoscopy as an additional tool for surgical treatment of pituitary adenomas and, therefore, acromegaly represents an important advance of pituitary surgery in the recent years. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the results of pure transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery in a series of patients with acromegaly who were operated on by a pituitary specialist surgeon. The authors discuss the advantages, outcome, complications, and factors related to the success of the endoscopic approach in cases of GHsecreting adenomas. Methods The authors retrospectively analyzed data from cases involving patients with GH-secreting adenomas who underwent pure transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery at the Department of Neurosurgery of the General Hospital in Fortaleza, Brazil, between 2000 and 2009. Tumors were classified according to size as micro- or macroadenomas, and tumor extension was analyzed based on suprasellar/parasellar extension and sella floor destruction. All patients were followed up for at least 1 year. The criteria of disease control were GH levels < 1 ng/L after oral glucose tolerance test and normal insulin-like growth factor–I levels for age and sex. Results During the study period, 67 patients underwent pure endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for treatment of acromegaly. Disease control was obtained in 50 cases (74.6%). The rate of treatment success was higher in patients with microadenomas (disease control achieved in 12 [85.7%] of 14 cases) than in those with larger lesions. Suprasellar/parasellar extension and high levels of sella floor erosion were associated with lower rates of disease control (p = 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively). Complications related to the endoscopic surgery included epistaxis (6.0%), transitory diabetes insipidus (4.5%), and 1 case of seizure (1.5%). Conclusions Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery represents an effective option for treatment of patients with acromegaly. High disease control rates and a small number of complications are some of the most important points related to the technique. Factors related to the success of the endoscopic surgery are lesion size, suprasellar/parasellar extension, and the degree of sella floor erosion. Although presenting important advantages, there is no conclusive evidence that endoscopy is superior to microsurgery in treatment of GH-secreting adenomas.

No abstract

Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for elderly patients with PAs may be associated with higher complication rates, especially secondary to early transitory complications, when compared with surgery performed in younger patients. Although the worst preoperative clinical status might be observed in this group, age alone is not associated with a worst final prognosis after endoscopic removal of nonfunctioning PAs.

-Objective: To determine if there was a relationship between intrassellar pressure (ISP) and p i t u i t a ry tumor volume. Method: Between August 2002 and May 2004, 60 patients aged between 13 and 75 years old (39 males), having a pituitary adenoma were submitted to an endoscope transseptal appro a c h . During the surg e ry and before tumor resection, 2 mm of the sella's floor were removed and a 1.5 mm dural opening made to place a transducer into the pituitary adenoma. The transducer was connected to a p re s s u re monitor. Results: The intrasellar pre s s u re, ranged from 2-51 mmHg and was measured based on the classification of Hard y -Vezina. The most elevated was in the type II macro adenomas with 32.6 mmHg, sharply superior to the value of a normal intracranial pre s s u re . Conclusion: These values showed that the m a c roadenomas confined to the sella, without destruction of the floor and integrity of the diaphragm, type II of Hardy-Vezina, presented a value of ISP much higher than intra-extrasellar macroadenoma's.KEY WORDS: pituitary adenoma, intrasellar pressure, endonasal approach. Relação entre pressão intra-selar e volume de tumor de hipófiseObjetivo: Determinar se existia uma relação entre a pressão intraselar (ISP) e o volume de tumor de hipó-f i s e . Método: E n t re agosto de 2002 e maio de 2004, 60 pacientes com idades variando entre 13 e 75 anos (39 homens), port a d o res de adenoma hipofisários foram operados por via transesfenoidal. Durante o ato c i r ú rgico e antes da resseção do tumor, uma osteotomia de 2 mm foi realizada no assoalho selar e uma a b e rtura de 1,5 mm na duramater para a introdução de um transdutor dentro do tumor. O transdutor foi conectado a um monitor de pressão e esta foi medida por 2 minutos. Resultados: A pressão intra-selar variou entre 2-51 mmHg e a correlação entre tamanho do tumor e ISP foi baseada na classificação de Hard yVezina. A média da ISP mais elevada foi encontrada nos macroadenomas tipo II com 32,6 mmHg, nitidamente superior a pressão intra selar norm a l . Conclusão: Estes valores mostram que os macro a d e n o m a s confinados a sela sem destruição do assoalho selar e com integridade do diafragma, classificados como tipo II de Hardy-Vezina, apresentam uma ISP muito superior aos outros adenomas. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: adenoma hipofisário, pressão intra-selar, via transesfenoidal.T h e re are studies in the literature corre l a t i n g intrasellar pre s s u re(ISP) and adenoma blood flow 1 , ISP and stalk compression syndrome 2 , ISP and endocrine function 3 , 4 , ISP and headaches 3 , pituitary volume and headache 5 , ISP and pituitary tumor apop l e x y 6 , but there are no specific studies corre l a t i n g ISP and tumor volume.The walls of the sella turcica are a relatively rigid s t ru c t u reand under normal circumstances, may serv e to protect the pituitary gland from trauma and surrounding pressure fluctuations. The growth of a tumor within the sella, a normally inelastic space, is likely to cause an increase of ISP. It has been conje...

No abstract