Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas

Abstract

Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery (EETS) is a widely accepted technique for the surgical resection of pituitary tumours. In this report, we present our single-centre experience with EETS for pituitary adenomas, mainly focusing on its efficacy and postoperative complications. Among 100 patients who underwent EETS, 57 (57%) were female and 43 were (43%) male. The mean age of the patients was 51.55 ± 13.51 years. Nonfunctional adenoma was found in 61 (61%) patients, acromegaly was found in 29 (29%) patients, Cushing’s disease in six (6%), and prolactinoma was found in four (4%) patients. On average, a 75.8% decrease in the postoperative tumour volume was observed in nonfunctional adenomas. Surgical cure was achieved in 51.7% of patients with acromegaly, 50% of those with Cushing’s disease, and 25% of those with prolactinoma. The most common postoperative complication was found to be cerebrospinal fluid fistula.

Keywords

• adenoma
• pituitary
• transsphenoidal
• endoscopy