Transsphenoidal hypophysectomy through the external rhinoplasty approach

The external rhinoplasty approach is a refinement of the well-recognized sublabial transseptal technique for transsphenoidal hypophysectomy first introduced by Cushing in 1910. This article relates our experience with 111 cases of transsphenoidal hypophysectomy performed during a 10-year period (1982-1992) and includes a detailed description of our use of the external technique. Fifty-one patients were male, and 60 were female. Ages ranged from 12 years to 80 years, with an average of 46 years. One hundred one patients had pituitary adenomas, four had craniopharyngiomas, two had inverting papillomas, and there was one each of lymphoma, metastatic prostate cancer, pituitary abscess, and posttraumatic cerebrospinal fluid leak. Nine of the operations were for recurrent adenomas. Complications included 8 symptomatic anterior septal perforations and 13 asymptomatic posterior perforations. Five had transient cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea, five had perioperative hemorrhages, two had minor postoperative columellar deformities, and one had injury to the internal carotid artery requiring embolization. We have found the external technique for transsphenoidal hypophysectomy to be a reliable and facile means for nasal exposure of the sphenoid sinus and pituitary gland without loss of nasal tip projection or significant cosmetic deformity.