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Updated: May 15, 2026
Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Sellar hemangioblastoma mimicking a macroadenoma
P Ajler1, E Goldschmidt, D Bendersky
1Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. pablo.ajler@gmail.com
Purpose:
Hemangioblastomas (HGB) are slow growing benign vascular tumors that arise almost always from the cerebellum and the spinal cord. Supratentorial location is extremely rare with approximately 130 cases published to date. We present a case of a sellar hemangioblastoma.
Case Report:
An eleven year-old girl presented with a sellar and suprasellar tumor that seemed to be a macroadenoma. A transsphenoidal approach was attempted but excessive intraoperative bleeding made the resection not feasible. A second transcranial approach was successful in partially removing the lesion and decompressing the optic chiasm and the pituitary stalk. Pathological review revealed a seller hemangioblastoma. screening for Von Hippel Lindeau Syndrome was negative.
Conclusion:
The preoperative diagnosis of HGB is extremely difficult in this case but would have been essential in order to choose the right surgical approach.
