Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026
Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Pituitary Stalk Lesion Sampling by Transsphenoidal Posterior Lobe Biopsy: A Case Series
Kyly Hiatt1, Zachary A Abecassis1, Jessica Eaton1
1Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States.
Objective:
This study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of performing posterior lobe pituitary biopsy in patients with pituitary stalk lesions compared with direct stalk biopsy.
Design:
We performed a single-institution retrospective review of four patients who underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery of the posterior pituitary lobe for a lesion of the pituitary stalk without clear diagnosis, despite noninvasive workup.
Participants:
Four patients with known pituitary stalk lesions who underwent posterior pituitary biopsy without tumor resection.
Main Outcome Measures:
The main outcomes were postprocedural endocrine function across all axes compared with preoperative function, postprocedural morbidities, and ability to obtain an accurate histologic diagnosis from biopsy.
Results:
A total of 100% (4/4) patients were histologically diagnosed based on tissue from transsphenoidal biopsy of the posterior lobe. There was no worsening of preoperative endocrine function. One patient experienced a cerebrospinal fluid leak. There were no other postoperative complications. None of the patients experienced worsening of vision attributable to biopsy.
Conclusion:
Transsphenoidal posterior lobe biopsy has a low-risk profile and high diagnostic capacity in patients presenting with a lesion of the pituitary stalk of uncertain etiology.
