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Updated: May 12, 2026
Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Very Long-Term Follow-Up of Multidimensional Health-Related Quality of Life After Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery for
Gonneke E Joustra1,2, Nathalie F van Rhee1, Marc C den Heijer1,2
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Background:
To evaluate postoperative health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for pituitary adenoma patients, multidimensional assessment is important. Available data is limited on long-term follow-up.
Methods:
Prospectively, 52 nonfunctioning (NFA) and functioning (FA) pituitary adenoma patients were included. The Endoscopic Endonasal Sinus and Skull Base Surgery Questionnaire (EES-Q) was completed preoperatively and postoperatively (2 weeks, 3 months, 1 year, 8.5 years). Generalized estimating equations identified variables associated with HRQoL changes over time.
Results:
Psychological (p = 0.006) and social HRQoL (p = 0.026) significantly improved after very long-term follow-up, while physical HRQoL and EES-Q scores normalized. Pre- and postoperatively, most inconveniences were reported in the social domain, with a noticeable difference between NFA and FA patients. Female gender negatively impacted physical HRQoL.
Conclusions:
Endoscopic endonasal surgery has no very long-term negative impact on HRQoL. Social functioning remained the most affected throughout follow-up. These results highlight the importance of this multidimensional HRQoL tool to improve patient-centered health care.
