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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Ectopic nasopharyngeal pituitary adenoma resected with endoscopic technique
Alan A Z Alexander1, Nikta Niktash, David E Kardon
1Division of Otolaryngology, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
Abstract:
We describe the case of an 80-year-old man with diabetes who presented with nonspecific dizziness. He was found on magnetic resonance imaging to have a 3.2-cm mass within the posterior and central aspect of the nasopharynx. Nasal endoscopy showed that the mass, which arose from the posterior edge of the nasal septum and was attached to the superior nasopharynx, was narrowing the patient's airway. Although initially the mass was suspected to be a minor salivary gland tumor, histopathologic analysis led to a diagnosis of pituitary adenoma. The ectopic tumor was removed via transnasal en bloc resection with partial adjacent septal resection. Final pathology confirmed the diagnosis. The patient had an uneventful recovery and no sequellae at 2-year follow-up.
