Unilateral septal technique for transsphenoidal microsurgical approach to the sella turcica

1978 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
George T. Tindall ◽  
William F. Collins ◽  
John A. Kirchner
Keyword(s):  
Nasal Mucosa ◽  
Nasal Septum ◽  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Practical Approach ◽  
Transsphenoidal Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Microsurgical Approach ◽  
Septal Perforations ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A modification of the transseptal, transsphenoidal approach to the sella turcica is described; it consists of a unilateral separation of the nasal mucosa from the nasal septum. Experience with the technique in 215 cases has indicated that it is a useful, practical approach. The advantages are that the septum is spared, reoperation is made easier, and the procedure is quicker than the bilateral septal procedure. Asymptomatic nasal septal perforations (less than 3 mm) were seen in eight of 215 cases, and represented the only complication related to the operation.

Resection of suprasellar tumors by using a modified transsphenoidal approach

2000 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 1028-1035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua G. Kouri ◽  
Michael Y. Chen ◽  
Joseph C. Watson ◽  
Edward H. Oldfield
Keyword(s):  
Third Ventricle ◽  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Transsphenoidal Approach ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Visual Field Defects ◽  
Posterior Portion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Suprasellar Region ◽  
Adjacent Structures ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Generally accepted contraindications to using a transsphenoidal approach for resection of tumors that arise in or extend into the suprasellar region include a normal-sized sella turcica, normal pituitary function, and adherence of tumor to vital intracranial structures. Thus, the transsphenoidal approach has traditionally been restricted to the removal of tumors involving the pituitary fossa and, occasionally, to suprasellar extensions of such tumors if the sella is enlarged. However, conventional transcranial approaches to the suprasellar region require significant brain retraction and offer limited visualization of contralateral tumor extension and the interface between the tumor and adjacent structures, such as the hypothalamus, third ventricle, optic apparatus, and major arteries. In this paper the authors describe successful removal of suprasellar tumors by using a modified transsphenoidal approach that circumvents some of the traditional contraindications to transsphenoidal surgery, while avoiding some of the disadvantages of transcranial surgery.Four patients harbored tumors (two craniopharyngiomas and two hemangioblastomas) that arose in the suprasellar region and were located either entirely (three patients) or primarily (one patient) within the suprasellar space. All patients had a normal-sized sella turcica. Preoperatively, three of the four patients had significant endocrinological deficits signifying involvement of the hypothalamus, pituitary stalk, or pituitary gland. Two patients exhibited preoperative visual field defects. For tumor excision, a recently described modification of the traditional transsphenoidal approach was used. Using this modification, one removes the posterior portion of the planum sphenoidale, allowing access to the suprasellar region. Total resection of tumor was achieved (including absence of residual tumor on follow-up imaging) in three of the four patients. In the remaining patient, total removal was not possible because of adherence of tumor to the hypothalamus and midbrain. One postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak occurred. Postoperative endocrinological function was worse than preoperative function in one patient. No other new postoperative endocrinological or neurological deficits were encountered.This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a modified transsphenoidal approach for resection of certain suprasellar, nonpituitary tumors.

Intrasellar hydatid cyst

1984 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 647-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tunçalp Özgen ◽  
Vural Bertan ◽  
Tülay Kansu ◽  
Sema Akalin
Keyword(s):  
Hydatid Cyst ◽  
Cystic Lesion ◽  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Transsphenoidal Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Daughter Cyst ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The authors report a case of hypopituitarism due to a cystic lesion in the sella turcica which was revealed by neuroradiological investigations. A hydatid cyst was found and removed by the transsphenoidal route. The transsphenoidal approach avoided intracranial spillage of fertile daughter cyst and scolices.

Transantral transsphenoidal approach to the pituitary

1983 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1102-1104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Hoyt ◽  
Frederick M. Turnbull ◽  
John A. Kusske
Keyword(s):  
Skull Base ◽  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Transsphenoidal Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The authors describe the technique of a transantral transsphenoidal approach to the sella turcica. The advantages and potential complications are discussed. This procedure may also be applicable when dealing with tumors of the skull base and orbits.

Surgical complications associated with the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach for pituitary adenomas

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Cappabianca ◽  
Luigi Maria Cavallo ◽  
AnnaMaria Colao ◽  
Enrico de Divitiis
Keyword(s):  
Pituitary Adenomas ◽  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Transsphenoidal Approach ◽  
Surgical Trauma ◽  
Safe Procedure ◽  
Endoscopic Endonasal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technical Developments ◽  
Historical Series ◽  
Fine Print

Object. To assess postoperative complications related to the surgical procedure, a retrospective analysis was conducted in a series of 146 consecutively treated patients who underwent an endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach to the sellar region for resection of pituitary adenomas between January 1997 and July 2001. Methods. Complications were divided into groups (nasofacial, sphenoid sinus, sella turcica, supra or parasellar, and endocrine complications) according to the anatomical structures and the systems involved. Overall, a decreased incidence of complications has been observed, compared with large historical series of the traditional microsurgical transsphenoidal approach, likely because of the overview inside the anatomy facilitated by the endoscope, and the decreased surgical trauma. Conclusions. Transsphenoidal surgery, either microscopic or endoscopic, is a safe procedure in experienced hands, but serious complications still occur and must be reduced as much as possible. Additional improvement can be expected with greater experience and new technical developments. A coordinated team effort with other dedicated colleagues from different specialties is advised.

The history and evolution of transsphenoidal surgery

2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 1083-1096 ◽  
Author(s):  
James K. Liu ◽  
Kaushik Das ◽  
Martin H. Weiss ◽  
Edward R. Laws ◽  
William T. Couldwell
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Pituitary Tumors ◽  
Transsphenoidal Approach ◽  
Surgical Morbidity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Antibiotic Drugs ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Transcranial Approach ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Initial attempts at transcranial approaches to the pituitary gland in the late 1800s and early 1900s resulted in a mortality rate that was generally considered prohibitive. Schloffer suggested the use of a transsphenoidal route as a safer, alternative approach to the sella turcica. He reported the first successful removal of a pituitary tumor via the transsphenoidal approach in 1906. His procedure underwent a number of modifications by interested surgeons, the culmination of which was A. E. Halstead's description in 1910 of a sublabial gingival incision for the initial stage of exposure. From 1910 to 1925, Cushing, combining a number of suggestions made by previous authors, refined the transsphenoidal approach and used it to operate on 231 pituitary tumors, with a mortality rate of 5.6%. As he developed increasing expertise with transcranial surgery, however, Cushing reduced his mortality rate to 4.5%. With the transcranial approach, he was able to verify suprasellar tumors and achieve better decompression of the optic apparatus, resulting in better recovery of vision and a lower recurrence rate. As a result he and most other neurosurgeons at the time abandoned the transnasal in favor of the transcranial approaches. Norman Dott, a visiting scholar who studied with Cushing in 1923, returned to Edinburgh, Scotland, and continued to use the transsphenoidal procedure while others pursued transcranial approaches. Dott introduced the procedure to Gerard Guiot, who published excellent results with the transsphenoidal approach and revived the interest of many physicians throughout Europe in the early 1960s. Jules Hardy, who used intraoperative fluoroscopy while learning the transsphenoidal approach from Guiot, then introduced the operating microscope to further refine the procedure; he thereby significantly improved its efficacy and decreased surgical morbidity. With the development of antibiotic drugs and modern microinstrumentation, the transsphenoidal approach became the preferred route for the removal of lesions that were confined to the sella turcica. The evolution of the transsphenoidal approaches and their current applications and modifications are discussed.

Pituitary abscesses

1977 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 601-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
James N. Domingue ◽  
Charles B. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Meningitis ◽  
Preoperative Diagnosis ◽  
World Literature ◽  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Visual Field Defects ◽  
Pituitary Abscess ◽  
Presumptive Diagnosis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Purulent Meningitis ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Seven cases of pituitary abscess are presented and the relevant world literature is reviewed. An enlarged sella co-existing with bacterial meningitis, or bacterial meningitis coinciding with a known or suspected pituitary tumor should suggest the diagnosis of pituitary abscess. Visual field defects should evoke similar suspicion when present in a patient with meningitis. This reasoning enabled us to make the first reported preoperative diagnosis of pituitary abscess. Therefore, in the management of purulent meningitis, we recommend the following: first, skull films are mandatory; second, if the sella turcica is abnormal, the correct presumptive diagnosis is pituitary abscess; and third, if prompt improvement does not follow appropriate antibiotic therapy, the suspected abscess should be explored and drained via the transsphenoidal approach.

Diagnosis and microsurgical approach to far-lateral disc herniation in the lumbar spine

1990 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph C. Maroon ◽  
Thomas A. Kopitnik ◽  
Larry A. Schulhof ◽  
Adnan Abla ◽  
James E. Wilberger
Keyword(s):  
Facet Joint ◽  
Lumbar Disc ◽  
Spinal Nerve ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Enhanced Ct ◽  
Disc Herniations ◽  
Microsurgical Approach ◽  
Far Lateral ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Lumbar-disc herniations that occur beneath or far lateral to the intervertebral facet joint are increasingly recognized as a cause of spinal nerve root compression syndromes at the upper lumbar levels. Failure to diagnose and precisely localize these herniations can lead to unsuccessful surgical exploration or exploration of the incorrect interspace. If these herniations are diagnosed, they often cannot be adequately exposed through the typical midline hemilaminectomy approach. Many authors have advocated a partial or complete unilateral facetectomy to expose these herniations, which can lead to vertebral instability or contribute to continued postoperative back pain. The authors present a series of 25 patients who were diagnosed as having far lateral lumbar disc herniations and underwent paramedian microsurgical lumbar-disc excision. Twelve of these were at the L4–5 level, six at the L5–S1 level, and seven at the L3–4 level. In these cases, myelography is uniformly normal and high-quality magnetic resonance images may not be helpful. High-resolution computerized tomography (CT) appears to be the best study, but even this may be negative unless enhanced by performing CT-discography. Discography with enhanced CT is ideally suited to precisely diagnose and localize these far-lateral herniations. The paramedian muscle splitting microsurgical approach was found to be the most direct and favorable anatomical route to herniations lateral to the neural foramen. With this approach, there is no facet destruction and postoperative pain is minimal. Patients were typically discharged on the 3rd or 4th postoperative day. The clinical and radiographic characteristics of far-lateral lumbar-disc herniations are reviewed and the paramedian microsurgical approach is discussed.

Fetal nondopaminergic neural implants in parkinsonian primates

1991 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof S. Bankiewicz ◽  
Robert J. Plunkett ◽  
David M. Jacobowitz ◽  
Irwin J. Kopin ◽  
Edward H. Oldfield
Keyword(s):  
Dopaminergic Neurons ◽  
Neural Implants ◽  
Behavioral Recovery ◽  
Foramen Of Monro ◽  
Caudate Nuclei ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Primate Brain ◽  
Brain Implants ◽  
Microsurgical Approach ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Implantation of fetal dopamine-containing tissue into preformed cavities in the caudate nucleus of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced parkinsonian monkeys leads to behavioral recovery. Recovery may be related to two sources of dopamine: the grafted cells and/or the sprouted fibers from host dopaminergic neurons. The authors undertook this study to determine whether behavioral recovery requires release of dopamine by the implanted tissue, and to establish if nondopaminergic fetal central nervous system implants can induce sprouting of dopamine fibers in the primate brain and cause behavioral recovery. Rhesus monkeys with MPTP-induced hemiparkinsonism or full parkinsonism and a stable neurological deficit were used for this study. Cavities were created in the caudate nuclei anterior to the foramen of Monro via an open microsurgical approach. Fetal cerebellum or spinal cord was implanted into the preformed cavities of three monkeys. Control parkinsonian monkeys showed no recovery. However, implant-induced improvement was stable for up to 6 months after implantation. Sprouted dopaminergic fibers oriented from the ventral striatum and nucleus accumbens were found in the area of the tissue implant in the animals that received fetal grafts but were not present in the control monkeys. It is concluded that brain implants do not need to contain dopamine to induce functional recovery in MPTP-induced parkinsonian primates. Implant-induced and trophic factor-mediated dopaminergic sprouting by the host brain plays a role in the behavioral recovery and may well be responsible for the clinical improvement seen in parkinsonian patients after brain implants.

Size-adjustable titanium plate for reconstruction of the sella turcica

1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 1055-1057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazunori Arita ◽  
Kaoru Kurisu ◽  
Atsushi Tominaga ◽  
Fusao Ikawa ◽  
Koji Iida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Pure Titanium ◽  
Clinical Use ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Titanium Plate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Postoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Closed Position ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A size-adjustable plate constructed of pure titanium is proposed for use in the reconstruction of the sella turcica. The plate is composed of two semicircular pieces that are connected by a hinge located at the top of the plate. Using an applicator, the plate is inserted into the sella turcica in a closed position. The same applicator is then used to open and secure the plate. The titanium causes minimal ferromagnetic artifacts on postoperative magnetic resonance imaging.Preliminary findings indicate a possibie clinical use for this plate in the reconstruction of the sella turcica when no suitable piece of bone is available.

Diagnosis and management of pituitary abscess: a review of twenty-four cases

2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Edward Vates ◽  
Mitchel S. Berger ◽  
Charles B. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Hormone Replacement ◽  
Sella Turcica ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Cystic Mass ◽  
Pituitary Abscess ◽  
Pituitary Mass ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Visual Changes ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Pituitary abscess is a rare but serious intrasellar infection. To better determine the salient signs and symptoms that help in making the diagnosis, and to determine the most appropriate treatment, the authors reviewed their experience in a series of 24 patients treated at the University of California at San Francisco. Methods. Nine of the patients were female and 15 were male, and their mean age was 41.2 years (range 12–71 years). Surprisingly, most patients in our series presented with complaints and physical findings consistent with a pituitary mass, but rarely with evidence of a serious infection. Headache, endocrine abnormalities, and visual changes were the most common clinical indicators; fever, peripheral leukocytosis, and meningismus were present in 33% or fewer of the patients. Imaging tests demonstrated a pituitary mass in all patients, but the features evident on computerized tomography and magnetic resonance studies did not distinguish pituitary abscesses from other, more common intrasellar lesions. Because of the ambiguous clinical features and imaging findings, most abscesses were not diagnosed before treatment; rather, the diagnosis was made during surgical exploration of the sella turcica, when the surgeon encountered a cystic mass containing pus. There were only two deaths in this series (8.3%). Patients presenting with headache and visual changes noted improvement in almost all cases; patients with endocrine dysfunction generally did not recover normal pituitary function, but were easily treated with hormone replacement therapy. Conclusions. Antibiotic therapy is suggested for patients who have symptoms of sepsis, or for patients in whom specific organisms are identified from cultures obtained during surgery. The transsphenoidal approach is recommended over open craniotomy for surgical drainage.

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