Retinal nerve fiber layer changes after transsphenoidal  and transcranial pituitary adenoma resection.
OBJECTIVE
Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) will show retrograde degeneration following damage to the optic nerve or the optic tract in patients with pituitary adenoma. RNFL changes after surgery have not been studied thoroughly in patients with the transsphenoidal surgery and patients with the transcranial surgery.


METHODS
Thirty-seven patients with pituitary adenoma were recruited from Huashan hospital between September 2010 and July 2014. Patients were divided into two groups: the transsphenoidal group and the transcranial group. Before surgery, 3 and 9 months after surgery, follow-up optic coherence tomography were conducted.


RESULTS
Twenty-one patients underwent transsphenoidal surgery and 16 patients underwent transcranial surgery. No obvious difference were observed between these two groups before surgery. The mean RNFL thickness did not change significantly in patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery: 91.1 before surgery, 92.7 at 3 months after surgery (p = 0.392) and 92.8 at 9 months after surgery( p = 0.395). The mean RNFL thickness decreased inpatients who underwent transcranial surgery: 93.6 before surgery, 86.1 at 3 months after surgery (p = 0.000) and 88.1 at 9 months after surgery (p = 0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
In the short time follow-up, there was no change of RNFL thickness in pituitary adenoma patients underwent transsphenoidal surgery, but a decrease inpatients underwent transcranial surgery.
Nidan
N
Qiao
Zhao
Z
Ye
Ming
M
Shen
Xuefei
X
Shou
Yongfei
Y
Wang
Shiqi
S
Li
Min
M
Wang
Yao
Y
Zhao
D000236:Adenoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000473:pathology*; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*