title: Endoscopic transnasal approach for removing pituitary tumors.
abstract: To describe a series of 129 consecutive patients submitted to the resection of pituitary tumors using the endoscopic transsphenoidal approach in a public medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis based on the records of patients submitted to the resection of a pituitary tumor through the endoscopic transsphenoidal approach between 2004 and 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and twenty-nine records were analyzed. The tumor was non-secreting in 96 (74.42%) and secreting in 33 patients (22.58%). Out of the secretory tumors, the most prevalent was the growth hormone producer (7.65%), followed by the prolactinoma, (6.98%). Eleven patients developed cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) fistulas, and four of them developed meningitis. One patient died due to intracerebral hemorrhage in the postoperative period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The endoscopic transsphenoidal approach to sellar tumors proved to be safe when the majority of the tumors were non-secreting. The most frequent complication was CSF. This technique can be done even in a public hospital with financial limits, since the health professionals are integrated.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Otorrinolaringologia, Hospital da Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mirian Cabral Moreira de
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Otorrinolaringologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciane Maria Pereira
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Otorrinolaringologia, Hospital da Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mariana Moreira de Castro
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Denaro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Otorrinolaringologia, Hospital da Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Pollyana Anício Magalhaes
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gontijo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurocirurgia, Hospital da Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Atos Alves de
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Sousa
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery*; D000293:Adolescent; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057605:Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery / Q000379:methods*; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013101:Sphenoid Sinus / Q000601:surgery; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000378:metabolism; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013006:Growth Hormone