Symptomatic Primary Tethered Optic Chiasm: Technical Case Report

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE Symptomatic tethering of the optic nerves and chiasm is a rare occurrence and has been reported following both surgical and medical treatment of pituitary adenoma. Here we present a case of primary optic chiasm tethering in a patient with empty sella syndrome. CLINICAL PRESENTATION The patient was a 61-yr-old female who presented with progressively worsening bitemporal hemianopsia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain revealed an empty sella with herniation of the optic chiasm into the sella. The patient underwent an endoscopic, endonasal/trans-sphenoidal approach to the sella, where the optic chiasm was then detethered via lysis of arachnoid adhesions and ultimately buttressed with an abdominal fat graft. Postoperatively, the patient did well with subjective and objective improvements in her visual fields. CONCLUSION We report a rare case of primary tethered optic chiasm, which was successfully treated via an endoscopic, endonasal approach with abdominal fat graft harvest.