Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Three-dimensional Alginate-bead Culture of Human Pituitary Adenoma Cells
Published on: February 18, 2016
Postsurgical Salvage Radiosurgery for Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas Touching/Compressing the Optic Chiasm: Median
Masaaki Yamamoto1,2, Hitoshi Aiyama1,3, Takao Koiso1,3
1Katsuta Hospital Mito GammaHouse, Hitachi-naka, Ibaraki, Japan.
Background:
There is little information on long-term outcomes after salvage treatment by either surgery or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for patients with recurrent/residual nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs).
Objective:
To reappraise the efficacy and safety of SRS for patients with NFPAs touching/compressing the optic apparatus (OA).
Methods:
We studied 27 patients (14 females, 13 males; mean age: 61 [range, 19-85] yr) who underwent SRS between 1998 and 2008 for NFPAs with such condition. The median tumor volume was 4.9 (range, 1.8-50.8) cc. To avoid excess irradiation to the OA, the lower part of the tumor was covered with a 50% or a 60% isodose gradient, ie 49% to 98% (mean, 84%; median, 88%) of the entire tumor received the selected doses. Median doses at the tumor periphery/OA were 7.6/11.0 (interquartile range [IQR], 5.8-9.1/10.1-11.8) Gy.
Results:
Seven patients (26%) were confirmed to be deceased due to unrelated diseases at a median post-SRS period of 149 (IQR, 83-158) mo. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed tumor growth in 2 patients (7%) at the 11th and 134th post-SRS month; the former underwent surgery and the other SRS. Excluding these 2 patients, the latest follow-up MRI examinations, performed 13 to 238 (median: 168, IQR: 120-180) mo after SRS, showed no size changes in 5 (19%) and shrinkage in 20 (74%) patients. Cumulative incidences of tumor growth control were 96.3% and 91.8% at the 120th and 180th post-SRS month. None of our patients developed subjective symptoms suggesting SRS-induced optic neuropathy or endocrinological impairment.
Conclusion:
In patients with NFPAs touching/compressing the OA, SRS achieves good long-term results.
Related Concept Videos
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Median
Responses to Gravity and Touch
Sign Test for Median of Single Population
Hormones of the Pituitary Gland
The most abundantly secreted hormone from the anterior lobe is the growth hormone, which controls overall growth by...
The Pituitary Gland

