Remission, complications, and overall survival in transsphenoidal pituitary surgery-a Swedish single-center experience of 578 patients

Complications following endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenoma-special focus on intrasellar pressure

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to explore risk factors for intraoperative events and postoperative complications of endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery (ETS) for pituitary tumors, and the role of intrasellar pressure (ISP) in relation to complications.

METHODS

The study was a single-center, retrospective, consecutive, observational study, with ISP data collected prospectively. After exclusions, the study population encompassed 69 patients. All had ISP measured intraoperatively during ETS for a pituitary adenoma and underwent standardized postoperative observations and follow-up. Data on complications within 3 months after surgery and some risk factors were collected retrospectively.

RESULTS

Decreased risk of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage was seen with higher age. Large tumor volume was associated with higher risk of intraoperative events. ISP was not associated with complication frequency, but patients with ISP > 20 mmHg had increased frequency of postoperative epistaxis.

CONCLUSION

This study confirms earlier findings of low age as a possible risk factor for postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage. Tumor volume is suggested to be associated with higher complication risk. ISP does not seem to be a significant risk factor for intraoperative events or postoperative complications following ETS. Predictive risk factors for surgical complications after ETS are still not satisfactorily explained and heterogeneous definitions of complications are problematic in this context.

Summary of best evidence on prevention of intracranial infection after endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary neoplasm resection

Background

Intracranial infection is one of the most serious complications after pituitary neoplasm resection. However, the quality of the evidence for existing preventive measures varies significantly, and the related content is scattered, and the scope is broad. Nurses lack the specificity and targeted guidance for preventing intracranial infections after endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery (EETS), and nurses find that evidence necessitates screening and identification during its application, and it is challenging to utilize current tool for guiding clinical practice. Thus, the protocols for preventing intracranial infection after EETS required further refinement. The aim of this study is to summarize the relevant evidence for preventing postoperative intracranial infections after endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary neoplasm resection, in order to reduce the incidence of postoperative intracranial infection and provide a reference for clinical medical staff.

Methods

We systematically searched a variety of platforms, including British Medical Journal Best Practice, UpToDate, DynaMed, Guidelines International Network, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, Australian Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence based Healthcare Center Database, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, Medlive, Wanfang Data, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Chinese biomedical literature service system (Sinomed) to collect clinical decisions, relevant guidelines, evidence summaries, systematic reviews, and expert consensus documents on the prevention of intracranial infection in this context according to the 6S evidence model. The search included literature published up to December, 2023. Then conduct literature screening and evaluation, extract and summarize relevant evidence on perioperative prevention of intracranial infection after EETS from the selected literature. Two researchers applied the JBI levels of evidence preappraisal system (2014 version) to categorize the included evidence into five levels (level 1a being the highest and level 5c being the lowest).

Results

A total of 16 pieces of literature were reviewed, including 6 clinical decision-makings, 2 guidelines, 2 systematic reviews, and 6 expert consensus documents. Ultimately, 24 pieces of best evidence for preventing intracranial infections after EETS for pituitary adenomas were formed, and they will be divided into four categories: multidisciplinary collaboration, preoperative evaluation and informed consent, intraoperative prevention and control, and postoperative observation and prevention.

Conclusions

This summarized the best evidence for preventing intracranial infection after endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary neoplasms resection. Summary of the best evidence for preventing intracranial infections following EETS plays a critical role in enhancing surgical success, optimizing patient management, fostering multidisciplinary collaboration, advancing research, and improving patient satisfaction. It is recommended that medical staff select and apply the evidence in clinical practice in order to avoid the occurrence of intracranial infections.

Single Center Neurosurgical Outcomes and Trends in Endoscopic Endonasal Resection of 297 Sellar/Suprasellar Tumors Stratified by Duration of Neurosurgical Career

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE

Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery (EETS) is a common treatment for sellar and suprasellar tumors. While endoscopic training has improved over the years and formal fellowship training is now broadly available, the operative nuances of EETS conjectures the existence a learning curve as a neurosurgeon matures with experience. We aim to evaluate operative outcomes of 3 different experience levels of neurosurgeons over time at a single institution.

METHODS

We reviewed all adult patients who underwent EETS at Loyola University Medical Center by 3 early career, 1 midcareer, and 2 late career neurosurgeons from 2007 to 2023. A comparative assessment of patient demographics, tumor features, and surgical outcomes was done using metrics such as length of surgery, rates of gross total resection (GTR) and symptomatic improvement, new postoperative steroid dependence, and development of diabetes insipidus (DI). T-tests and χ2 were used to statistically evaluate the study cohorts.

RESULTS

A total of 297 patients underwent EETS. One hundred three (35%) were operated on by an early career, 122 (41%) by a mid-career, and 72 (24%) by a late career neurosurgeon. Late-career surgeons had shorter operation times (144 vs. 180 minutes with early and mid-career, P = 0.029) and increased GTR rates (P = 0.008). There were no significant differences between the symptomatic improvement rates amongst various surgeon experience levels. Although not statistically significant, early-career neurosurgeons had lower rates of new postoperative steroid dependence. Patients of early career surgeons experienced significantly less DI (15% vs. 40%, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

Late-career neurosurgeons had shorter operation lengths, achieved higher rates of GTR, and their patients experienced significantly higher rates of DI. Overall outcomes remained stable throughout the course of 16 years between different surgeon experience levels.

Patients at Greatest Risk of Missing Initial 1-Year Follow-Up After Pituitary Adenoma Resection

OBJECTIVE

Routine evaluation and surveillance imaging after pituitary adenoma (PA) endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal resection (EETS) is a neurosurgical practice to identify tumor recurrence. This study aims to identify social and clinical factors that may contribute to patients missing their initial 1-year follow-up appointment and provide guidance for targeted education to improve patient adherence with postoperative treatment plans, ultimately reducing unknown adenoma recurrence.

METHODS

The authors performed a single-center retrospective review of patients who underwent EETS for PAs from 2007 to 2023. Patients were analyzed for sociodemographic factors, presenting symptoms, time to surgery, surgical outcomes, and adherence to postoperative follow-up visits at 1 year after surgery.

RESULTS

A total of 256 patients with PAs treated by EETS met inclusion criteria; 218 (85%) of these patients attended 1-year follow-up, and 38 (15%) missed this visit. Twenty-nine (76%) individuals who missed their 1-year follow up were men (P = 0.006). Divorced/widowed/separated patients were 2 times more likely to miss their follow-up compared with their married counterparts (P = 0.008). Additional significant risk factors included older age, as the mean age for patients who missed their 1-year appointment was 60.1 years compared with 54.7 years (P = 0.028). Patients with visual field deficits at initial presentation were also less likely to follow-up at 1 year (P = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Risk factors of missed 1-year follow-up appointments after PA resection include male sex, divorced/widowed/separated marital status, older age, and the presence of visual deficits at initial presentation. Increased education efforts can be selectively aimed at these at-risk patient cohorts to improve patient compliance and reduce consequences of undetected tumor recurrence.

The effect of preoperative TSH levels on perioperative complications in patients undergoing pituitary surgery

INTRODUCTION

Pituitary surgery involves special conditions for the anaesthetist due to the anatomical localisation and the role of the pituitary gland in hormonal balance. The aim of this study was to retrospectively investigate the effect of TSH levels on perioperative complication rates in patients undergoing pituitary surgery.

METHODS

In this study, patients who underwent pituitary surgery at Izmir Katip Celebi University Ataturk Training and Research Hospital between January 2017 and November 2022 were retrospectively screened. Two patients out of the 137 were excluded from the study as they underwent simultaneous aneurysm surgery along with pituitary tumor surgery. A total of 135 patients meeting the criteria were analyzed. Patients were divided into three groups according to TSH levels. Perioperative complication rates and mortality rates were compared between the three groups.

FINDINGS

The study included a total of 135 patients, with an age range of 16-76 years. Among the groups with low-normal-high TSH levels, there were no statistically significant difference observed, in postoperative complications, such as epistaxis, rhinorrhea, postoperative nausea/vomiting, seizures, hypertension, and hypotension. When looking at the incidence of postoperative diabetes insipidus, a significant difference was found between the groups. When examining the mortality rates on the 28th day, a significant difference was found between the groups, with a mortality rate of 25% in the high TSH group (p < 0.5).

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of perioperative mortality is higher in patients with TSH levels above normal.

Multidisciplinary Team Care in Pituitary Tumours

The optimal care for patients with pituitary tumours is best provided in a multidisciplinary and collaborative environment, which requires the contribution of multiple medical specialties working together. The benefits and advantages of the pituitary multidisciplinary team (MDT) are broad, and all relevant international consensus and guidelines in the field recommend that patients with pituitary tumours should always be managed in a MDT. Endocrinologists and neurosurgeons are normally the leading specialties within the pituitary MDT, supported by many other specialties with significant contributions to the diagnosis and management of pituitary tumours, including neuropathology, neuroradiology, neuro-ophthalmology, and otorhinolaryngology, among others. Here, we review the literature concerning the concepts of Pituitary MDT/Pituitary Tumour Centre of Excellence (PTCOE) in terms of their mission, goals, benefits, structure, proposed models of function, and barriers, and we also provide the views of different specialists involved in our Pituitary MDT.

The role of surgical management for prolactin-secreting tumors in the era of dopaminergic agonists: An international multicenter report

OBJECTIVE

First-line prolactin-secreting tumor (PST) management typically involves treatment with dopamine agonists and the role of surgery remains to be further explored. We examined the international experience of 12 neurosurgical centers to assess the patient characteristics, safety profile, and effectiveness of surgery for PST management.

METHODS

Patients surgically treated for PST from January 2017 through December 2020 were evaluated for surgical characteristics, outcomes, and safety.

RESULTS

Among 272 patients identified (65.1% female), the mean age was 38.0 ± 14.3 years. Overall, 54.4% of PST were macroadenomas. Minor complications were seen in 39.3% of patients and major complications were in 4.4%. The most common major complications were epistaxis and worsened vision. Most minor complications involved electrolyte/sodium dysregulation. At 3-6 months, local control on imaging was achieved in 94.8% of cases and residual/recurrent tumor was seen in 19.3%. Reoperations were required for 2.9% of cases. On multivariate analysis, previous surgery was significantly predictive of intraoperative complications (6.14 OR, p < 0.01) and major complications (14.12 OR, p < 0.01). Previous pharmacotherapy (0.27 OR, p = 0.02) and cavernous sinus invasion (0.19 OR, p = 0.03) were significantly protective against early endocrinological cure. Knosp classification was highly predictive of residual tumor or PST recurrence on 6-month follow-up imaging (4.60 OR, p < 0.01). There was noted institutional variation in clinical factors and outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Our results evaluate a modern, multicenter, global series of PST. These data can serve as a benchmark to compare with DA therapy and other surgical series. Further study and longer term outcomes could provide insight into how patients benefit from surgical treatment.