Effectiveness of lumbar drain versus hyperventilation to facilitate transsphenoidal pituitary (suprasellar) adenoma...

Developing controlled hypercarbia is a known scheme of lowering the suprasellar part of the adenoma in order to assist the surgeon, which acts through raising the ICP and therefore the CSF pressure.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of introducing a lumbar drain with that of controlled hypercapnia on the quality of transsphenoidal pituitary tumor resection and CSF leak.

Fifty two patients with pituitary adenoma who underwent transsphenoidal hypophysectomy by the same surgeon were included. They were randomly divided into two groups. A lumbar drain catheter introduced into the L3-L4 subarachnoid space under local anesthesia in all patients. The same anesthesia was performed in both groups. In the study group, we used a saline injection into the subarachnoid space versus hypoventilation in the control group in order to increase the ICP according to the surgeon's request. The surgeon's satisfaction during the tumor resection and the resection time were assessed during the surgery. The CSF catheter was closed and sent with the patient for CSF drainage. If there was no CSF leak, the catheter removed 24 hours later. With evidence of a CSF leak, we used the catheter as a lumbar drain. The time taken for the leakage control was assessed.

The satisfaction came from 21 (87.5%) and 2 (9.1%) for surgeon in the first and the second group respectively (P = 0.0001). CSF leakage time in the first and the second group was 1.6 ± 0.24 and 5 ± 0.50 respectively. It revealed a significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.001). The mean resection time was 13.54 ± 0.66 minutes in the study group; and 30.91 ± 0.98 minutes in the control group.

In summary, the method described here for ICP manipulation is an effective procedure for a better visualization of the pituitary tumor during transphenoidal resection by surgeon and beneficial in managing the CSF leak following surgery.