title: Clinical and laboratorial characterization and post-surgical follow-up of 87 patients with non-functioning pituitary macroadenomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It was to assess the main characteristics of patients undergoing pituitary tumor surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-seven patients (44 men; 44.8±13 years old) were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main symptoms were visual alterations (87.3%), headache (70.1%), diminished libido (34.4%), galactorrhea (22.9%) and hair loss (19.5%). The axes affected were gonadotropic (72.6%), thyrotropic (48.4%) and corticotropic (38.7%), without significant changes after surgery. The average largest tumor diameter was 3.1 cm before surgery and 1.56 cm after surgery. The most frequent postoperative complications were hydro-electrolyte and acid-base disorders (12%), diabetes insipidus (9%), visual field alterations (9%), liquoric fistula (8%) and nasal obstruction (7%). The patients were affected by more than one complication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although a decrease in tumor volume was achieved through surgery, hormonal deficiencies persisted in most of the patients and new surgical approaches were necessary for dealing with tumor recurrence or persistence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Universidade de Brasília (HUB-UnB), Brasília DF, Brazil. paulomello@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Paulo Andrade de
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Mello
authors.forename: Luciana Ansaneli
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Naves
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pereira Neto
authors.forename: Eduardo Henrique
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Ivan Coelho
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Antônio Santos de
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Araújo Júnior
authors.forename: Franz Jooji
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Onishi
authors.forename: Luiz Augusto
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Casulari
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011184:Postoperative Period; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult