A core outcome set for pituitary surgery research: an international delphi consensus study

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Endocrinology
• Ophthalmology
• Quality of Life Research

Background:

• Pituitary adenoma surgery research lacks standardized outcome measures.
• Variability in outcome reporting hinders comparative analysis and research synthesis.
• Patient-reported outcomes are crucial for assessing surgical impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a consensus-based core outcome set (COS) for pituitary surgery.
• To enhance the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of future pituitary adenoma surgery research.
• To establish a unified framework for reporting outcomes in pituitary surgery.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and patient-reported measures identified 33 potential outcomes.
• Two rounds of online Delphi surveys distributed to healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers.
• A final live online consensus meeting to finalize the core outcome set.

Main Results:

• The consensus process involved 95 and 87 participants in the two survey rounds.
• The final core outcome set (COS) comprises 7 domains.
• The 7 domains include short-term surgical, nasal, ophthalmic, endocrine, quality of life/psychological, other short-term, and disease control outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The developed core outcome set (COS) provides a standardized framework for pituitary surgery research.
• Adoption of this COS is advocated to improve consistency and comparability in future studies.
• This COS will facilitate more robust evidence generation in pituitary adenoma management.