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Updated: May 15, 2026
Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Transsphenoidal surgery for growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas in 130 patients
Manouchehr Shirvani1, Rouzbeh Motiei-Langroudi1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Shohada Tajrish Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Objective:
Transsphenoid surgery is the treatment of choice for growth hormone (GH)-producing pituitary adenomas. The measures that may predict postoperative remission need to be elucidated.
Methods:
Transsphenoid surgery was performed in 163 patients by a single neurosurgeon from 1992 until 2010. Thirty-three patients were lost to follow-up, and the results of the remaining 130 are presented here.
Results:
A total of 81.5% of patients obtained a first postoperative day GH level less than 5 μg/L, whereas 60.5% achieved a value less than 2.5 μg/L. A total of 56.9% had achieved both a GH less than 2.5 μg/L and normal insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) on delayed follow-up and could be regarded as in remission. Duration of symptoms before surgery, age, preoperative GH, and IGF-I levels did not significantly influence a patient's remission. Analysis showed that cavernous sinus extension and larger tumor size were associated with decreased remission rate, whereas sellar floor invasion or suprasellar extension did not significantly influence remission.
Conclusion:
The results of our study show that transsphenoid surgery is an optimal treatment modality for GH-secreting pituitary adenoma. Suprasellar or sellar floor invasion, and preoperative GH or IGF-I do not necessarily predict poor outcomes. Large tumor size and cavernous sinus extension contribute to greater recurrence rates.
