title: Direct transnasal approach for pituitary surgery.
abstract: One hundred four patients with pituitary tumours were treated using the direct transnasal approach. The data of these patients were analysed prospectively with regard to duration of surgery and occurrence of complications and compared with retrospective data from 52 patients in whom the traditional sublabial trans-sphenoidal approach was performed. Using the direct transnasal approach, mean operative time was significantly lower than with the sublabial technique. In addition, even though major complications were observed in neither treatment group, minor complications were significantly less frequent after the direct transnasal approach. Due to minimised dissection of normal tissue, this approach is less time-consuming and less traumatic, and the rate of minor complications is significantly lower than with the sublabial procedure.
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgical Clinic, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. g.marquardt@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marquardt
authors.forename: Hilal
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yahya
authors.forename: Elvis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Seifert
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008046:Lip / Q000601:surgery; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D009666:Nose / Q000601:surgery*; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012658:Sella Turcica / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors