Incidence and Management of Complications of Transsphenoidal Operation for Pituitary Adenomas

Neurosurgery ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 920-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter McL. Black ◽  
Nicholas T. Zervas ◽  
Guillermo L. Candia

Abstract Two hundred fifty-five consecutive transsphenoidal procedures for pituitary adenomas were reviewed to evaluate complications and their management. There were no operative deaths. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea was the most common complication, occurring in 2.7% of cases; diabetes insipidus was next, lasting less than 1 year in 1.6% of patients and over a year in 0.4%. Sinusitis occurred in 1.2% of patients, and delayed epistaxis occurred in 0.8%. Postoperative hematomas, meningitis, hydrocephalus, and deep venous thrombosis each occurred in 0.4% of cases. These results are discussed in the context of previous reports, including an international survey of pituitary surgeons. Although transsphenoidal surgery has a low morbidity and mortality, it is nevertheless associated with potentially serious difficulties that should be expeditiously recognized and managed.

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eui Hyun Kim ◽  
Tae Hoon Roh ◽  
Hun Ho Park ◽  
Ju Hyung Moon ◽  
Je Beom Hong ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND During transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas with large suprasellar extension, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage commonly develops from a defect at the arachnoid recess between the resected dura margin and the anterior edge of a normal pituitary gland (type 1 CSF leakage). OBJECTIVE To evaluate the usefulness of a direct suture technique of the normal gland edge on the incised dural margin to repair intraoperative CSF leakage from the arachnoid recess. METHODS Between November 2005 and December 2012, 861 patients with pituitary adenomas were operated on with transsphenoidal surgery, and intraoperative CSF leakage was encountered in 432 patients. Type 1 CSF leakage developed in a total of 122 patients, and their defects were repaired with the direct suture technique in 51 patients, whereas a fleece-coated fibrin glue patch alone was applied onto the defect in the other 71 patients. This direct suture technique required an additional 5 to 20 minutes in most cases. RESULTS We experienced no case of postoperative CSF rhinorrhea in the 51 patients whose defects were repaired by the direct suture technique and only 1 case of CSF rhinorrhea in 71 patients whose defects were repaired with a fleece-coated fibrin glue patch alone. There was no statistical difference in the outcome between 2 groups. Postoperative lumbar CSF drainage was not performed in any case. CONCLUSION Our 2 different repair techniques for arachnoid recess tears are very reliable methods for managing this type of CSF leakage. The direct suture technique may be more appropriate for type 1 CSF leakage with a wider gap and more prominent CSF leakage.


2018 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben A. Strickland ◽  
Joshua Lucas ◽  
Brianna Harris ◽  
Edwin Kulubya ◽  
Joshua Bakhsheshian ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVECerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea is among the most common complications following transsphenoidal surgery for sellar region lesions. The aim of this study was to review the authors’ institutional experience in identifying, repairing, and treating CSF leaks associated with direct endonasal transsphenoidal operations.METHODSThe authors performed a retrospective review of cases involving surgical treatment of pituitary adenomas and other sellar lesions at the University of Southern California between December 1995 and March 2016. Inclusion criteria included all pathology of the sellar region approached via a direct microscopic or endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach. Demographics, pathology, intraoperative and postoperative CSF leak rates, and other complications were recorded and analyzed. A literature review of the incidence of CSF leaks associated with the direct endonasal transsphenoidal approach to pituitary lesions was conducted.RESULTSA total of 1002 patients met the inclusion criteria and their cases were subsequently analyzed. Preoperative diagnoses included pituitary adenomas in 855 cases (85.4%), Rathke’s cleft cyst in 94 (9.4%), and other sellar lesions in 53 (5.2%). Lesions with a diameter ≥ 1 cm made up 49% of the series. Intraoperative repair of an identified CSF leak was performed in 375 cases (37.4%) using autologous fat, fascia, or both. An additional 92 patients (9.2%) underwent empirical sellar reconstruction without evidence of an intraoperative CSF leak. Postoperative CSF leaks developed in 26 patients (2.6%), including 13 (1.3% of the overall group) in whom no intraoperative leak was identified. Among the 26 patients who developed a postoperative CSF leak, 13 were noted to have intraoperative leak and underwent sellar repair while the remaining 13 did not have an intraoperative leak or sellar repair. No patients who underwent empirical sellar repair without an intraoperative leak developed a postoperative leak. Eight patients underwent additional surgery (0.8% reoperation rate) for CSF leak repair, and 18 were successfully treated with lumbar drainage or lumbar puncture alone. The incidence of postoperative CSF rhinorrhea in this series was compared with that in 11 other reported series that met inclusion criteria, with incidence rates ranging between 0.6% and 12.1%.CONCLUSIONSIn this large series, half of the patients who developed postoperative CSF rhinorrhea had no evidence of intraoperative CSF leakage. Unidentified intraoperative CSF leaks and/or delayed development of CSF fistulas are equally important sources of postoperative CSF rhinorrhea as the lack of employing effective CSF leak repair methods. Empirical sellar reconstruction in the absence of an intraoperative CSF leak may be of benefit following resection of large tumors, especially if the arachnoid is thinned out and herniates into the sella.


2020 ◽  
Vol 103 (9) ◽  
pp. 960-963

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is common with traumatic brain injury or after transsphenoidal surgery (TSS). In contrast, spontaneous rhinorrhea caused by pituitary adenoma (PA) without prior treatment is rather unusual. Moreover, cases of non-functioning PA (NFPA) who seek medical attention without visual or hormonal symptoms but with watery nasal discharge, mistaken for rhinitis, and misled to delayed diagnosis, are extremely rare. The authors presented a case of spontaneous CSF rhinorrhea, confirmed by clinical, laboratory, and radiographic studies, caused by NFPA. Endoscopic TSS came across a typical PA, and subsequently, the sellar defect was successfully repaired. Pathological diagnosis of NFPA was established. The patient had an uncomplicated postoperative course and complete resolution of her presenting symptoms. A short review of prior case reports is also provided. Keywords: Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea, Pituitary adenoma, Non-functioning, Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery


2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. ons130-ons137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Mo Cho ◽  
Jung Yong Ahn ◽  
Jong Hee Chang ◽  
Sun Ho Kim

Abstract BACKGROUND: Autologous tissue grafting and postoperative lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage (PLD) have been used to prevent CSF rhinorrhea after transsphenoidal surgery. OBJECTIVE: To describe the technical details and efficacy of our techniques of using collagen fleece coated with fibrin sealant (TachoComb, Nycomed, Linz, Austria) instead of an autologous tissue graft and refraining from the use of PLD. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 307 consecutive patients who underwent a transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenoma from November 2005 to February 2008. Among them, 90 cases of intraoperative CSF leaks were repaired with TachoComb without an autologous tissue graft or PLD. The repair procedures were tailored according to CSF leakage type, and we used only Bioglue (Cryolife Inc, Atlanta, Georgia) for sellar floor reconstruction. RESULTS: The overall rate of CSF rhinorrhea was 2.2% (2 of 90 cases). The 2 cases of CSF rhinorrhea resulted from large arachnoid defects, and there were no adverse effects from TachoComb such as transmission of viral disease or infection. CONCLUSION: Our technique is an alternative method to the traditional autologous tissue graft technique. PLD is not an essential procedure for the prevention of CSF rhinorrhea if the intraoperative CSF leak is completely sealed off during the transsphenoidal surgery. However, in cases of large arachnoid defects, aggressive repair of the arachnoid defect and sellar floor reconstruction with bone or bony substitutes should be considered in conjunction with our methods.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Wang ◽  
Cai Yang ◽  
Yugang Jiang ◽  
Yong Peng

Abstract Aim: We aimed to identify the risk factors associated with intra- and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage in pituitary adenomas treated by endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery. Material and methods: A retrospective analysis of 250 pituitary adenoma cases from January 2017 to December 2019 at our hospital was conducted; all patients underwent endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgeries. A univariate analysis and multivariate analysis was performed to investigate the risk factors associated with intra- and postoperative CSF rhinorrhea.Results: Eighty(32.0%) and nine(3.6%) patients had intraoperative and postoperative CSF leakages, respectively. Tumor size was an independent risk factor for intraoperative CSF leakage (OR, 1.229; 95% CI, 1.133–1.334; P<0.001); intraoperative CSF leakage was an independent risk factor for postoperative CSF leakage (OR, 7.707; 95% CI, 1.336–44.455; P=0.022). Chronic respiratory disease (OR, 57.500; 95% CI, 8.031–411.682; P<0.001) was also an independent risk factor for postoperative CSF leakage; vascularized septal mucosal flap was a protective factor for such (OR, 0.107; 95% CI, 0.013–0.894; P=0.039).Conclusion: Intraoperative CSF leakages are more likely to occur in large pituitary adenomas; in the presence of intraoperative CSF leakages, postoperative CSF rhinorrhea is very likely to occur. Patients with chronic respiratory disease are also more likely to develop postoperative CSF leakages. However, the sellar base reconstructed using vascularized nasal septal flaps can significant decrease the risk for such. Knosp grade, degree of tumor resection, postoperative lumbar subarachnoid drain use did not seem to have effect on the postoperative CSF rhinorrhea.


1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 823-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward R. Laws ◽  
Nicolee C. Fode ◽  
Michael J. Redmond

✓ The authors report the results of a retrospective study conducted in an effort to define the results and risks of transsphenoidal surgery for patients whose prior therapy had failed. In a series of 1210 patients undergoing transsphenoidal surgery during a 10-year period, 158 had received prior therapy: 127 for pituitary adenoma, 20 for craniopharyngioma, and 11 for other lesions. Prior therapy was considered “direct” when it consisted of craniotomy or transsphenoidal surgery (either open or stereotaxic), and “indirect” when it consisted of radiation therapy, adrenalectomy, or bromocriptine therapy. The current transsphenoidal operation was performed for persistent hyperfunctioning endocrinopathy in 63 patients, for visual loss in 72 patients, and for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea in 21 patients. Success rates were as follows: normalization of endocrinopathy was achieved in 35% of cases; improvement or stabilization of vision in 59%; and successful repair of CSF rhinorrhea in 74%. The risks associated with repeat transsphenoidal surgery are significantly greater than the same procedure in a previously untreated patient.


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