title: Value of visual evoked potential monitoring during trans-sphenoidal pituitary surgery.
abstract: The visual outcome of 22 patients undergoing trans-sphenoidal excision of pituitary macroadenomas with intraoperative flash visual evoked potential (VEP) monitoring (Group A), was compared with a non-randomized group of 14 patients who had undergone similar operations without VEP monitoring (Group B). Tumour size, preoperative visual acuity, peripheral fields, and latencies and amplitudes of P1 and P2 were analysed to ascertain the best predictor of postoperative visual function. It was found that patients in Group A had a significantly greater improvement in field defects than those in Group B. There was no difference in postoperative improvement in visual acuity between the two groups. None of the variables analysed were good predictors of visual outcome.
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, India.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Chacko
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Babu
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chandy
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013101:Sphenoid Sinus / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery