[Intranasal approaches for pituitary area tumors. Our experience].
Transsphenoidal approach is the most commonly employed surgical technique for the resection of pituitary tumors. We present our experience in the transnasal-transsphenoidal approach in 30 patients undergoing pituitary surgery from 1998 to 2002. Ten patients underwent surgery via a sublabial-transeptal-transsphenoidal approach, 15 patients via a transeptal-transsphenoidal approach and 5 patients via a pure endoscopic transnasal-transsphenoidal. The pathological study showed 29 pituitary adenomas and 1 Rathe's cleft cyst. We conclude that the pure endoscopic transnasal-transsphenoidal approach guided by a navigator-system is safest and more effective approach. We reserved the transeptal-transsphenoidal approach for cases with obstructive septal deflection and poor pneumatized sphenoid sinuses. We do not recommend the use of the sublabial-trans-sphenoidal approach.
Díaz
A
A
Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital General Universitario, Facultad de Medicina, Valencia.
Armengot
M
M
Alba
J R
JR
Barcia
J A
JA
Basterra
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009296:Nasal Cavity; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*