Severe hypersomnolence after pituitary/hypothalamic surgery in adolescents: clinical characteristics and potential mechanisms.
OBJECTIVE
After resection of hypothalamic/pituitary tumors, children are at risk for development of hormonal deficiencies, obesity, and hypersomnolence. However, the prevalence and pathophysiology of these complications are unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of hypersomnolence in children after resection of pituitary tumors and to study the potential factors that contribute to this sleepiness if present. We further hypothesized that decrements in orexin levels may contribute to the sleepiness.


METHODS
Six children who underwent hypothalamic/pituitary surgery were identified. Five of these patients and 5 matched control subjects underwent overnight polysomnography followed by a multiple sleep latency test. Children who had a primary sleep disorder (eg, obstructive sleep apnea) underwent treatment and were restudied subsequently (n = 2). Blood levels of pituitary hormones were measured. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were drawn from 4 patients and 3 control subjects to measure orexin levels.


RESULTS
Endocrine control was appropriate in all children. Although patients had longer sleep duration but similar sleep efficiency than control subjects, relatively severe daytime somnolence was present (mean sleep latency: 10.3 +/- 5.3 minutes vs 26.2 +/- 1.1 minute in control subjects). Sleepiness did not correlate with body mass index or age. Furthermore, serum and CSF orexin levels did not differ between patients and control subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Severe daytime sleepiness is frequent among children who undergo pituitary/hypothalamic surgery and does not seem to result from inappropriate cortisol or thyroxine replacement, disturbed nocturnal sleep, or low levels of orexin in the serum or CSF. We therefore speculate that other, unidentified neurohormonal mechanisms may mediate the excessive sleepiness of these patients.
Snow
Ayelet
A
Department of Pediatrics A and Sleep Laboratory, Rambam Medical Center and Technion, Haifa, Israel.
Gozal
Evelyne
E
Malhotra
Atul
A
Tiosano
Dov
D
Perlman
Rina
R
Vega
Céline
C
Shahar
Eli
E
Gozal
David
D
Hochberg
Ze'ev
Z
Pillar
Giora
G
D000293:Adolescent; D016080:Arachnoid Cysts / Q000601:surgery; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003397:Craniopharyngioma / Q000601:surgery; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007029:Hypothalamic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008297:Male; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000601:surgery; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D000068797:Orexins; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D017286:Polysomnography; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D000068797:Orexins