title: Immediate postoperative complications in transsphenoidal pituitary surgery: A prospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Considering the important role of pituitary gland in regulating various endocrine axes and its unique anatomical location, various postoperative complications can be anticipated resulting from surgery on pituitary tumors. We examined and categorized the immediate postoperative complications according to various tumor pathologies.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out a prospective study in 152 consecutive patients and noted various postoperative complications during neurosurgical intensive care unit stay (within 48 hrs of hospital stay) in patients undergoing transsphenoidal removal of pituitary tumors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our series, various groups showed different postoperative complications out of which, cerebrospinal fluid leak was the commonest followed by diabetes insipidus, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and hematoma at operation site.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Various immediate postoperative complications can be anticipated in transsphenoidal pituitary surgery even though, it is considered to be relatively safe.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Health Sciences Center, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: Tumul
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chowdhury
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroanesthesiology and Neuro-Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Hemanshu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Prabhakar
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroanesthesiology and Neuro-Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Parmod K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Bithal
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schaller
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon, India.
authors.forename: Hari Hara
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Dash
keywords: Complications; pituitary tumors; postoperative; transsphenoidal surgery