[Endoscopic transsphenoidal treatment of pituitary adenomas]

The aim of this study is to present a new endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal method of surgical treatment of pituitary adenomas and to evaluate the results and complications of the method.

From October 2001 to June 2003 in the Department of Neurosurgery of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice 88 operations of pituitary adenomas were performed using the transnasal transsphenoidal endoscopic method. The group of patients consisted of 50 females and 38 males. The youngest patient was 11 years old and the oldest was 79 years old. Patients were operated on using the 4-mm diameter endoscope with 0- and 30-degree angled lenses, using a method of operation according to Jho and Carrau with own modifications. At the time of surgery the operation team included 2 neurosurgeons, an anesthesiologist and a laryngologist.

In the group of 51 nonfunctioning adenomas, in 32 cases we obtained the total removal of the tumor, which amounts to 63%. Among 37 of hyperfunctioning adenomas there were 11 prolactinomas, 19 GH secreting adenomas and 7 ACTH secreting adenomas. In all cases of prolactinomas the tumor was removed totally and in the cases of GH secreting adenomas and ACTH secreting adenomas the total removal of the tumor was performed in 58% and 86% of the cases, respectively. One patient within our group died after the operation. It was the patient with a huge nonfunctioning macroadenoma, with hydrocephalus and preoperative disturbances of consciousness. The permanent diabetes insipidus occurred in 2 cases, which amounts to 2.3% of all operated patients. In this group we noticed the intraoperative CSF leakage in 20 cases but we did not observe the postoperative CSF leakage or any rhinological complications.

The endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal approach is an efficient method of surgical treatment of pituitary adenomas. The advantage of this method is low invasiveness and a small number of serious complications.