“The most formidable of intracranial tumors” Harvey Cushing (1932) Introduction The introduction of the transsphenoidal approach to the pituitary fossa by Schloffer in 1907 revolutionized the management of pituitary pathology….
History Herman Schloffer, according to Liu et al, performed the first successful modern transsphenoidal approach for a pituitary tumor in March of 1907. It was a tedious three-stage procedure, with…
Introduction Although pituitary and sellar region tumors are relatively rare in infancy and childhood (overall incidence rate of approximately 0.5 per 100,000 person years), these tumors still account for up…
Introduction Pituitary metastases are an uncommon manifestation of systemic cancer and usually a marker of terminal disease. With improved survival for various types of cancer and with the use of…
Anatomy If a thin endoscope (1 to 2 mm in diameter) is inserted into the nasal cavity and through the sphenoid ostium, it can reach the sellar floor without touching…
Introduction Pituitary adenomas are very common lesions and represent between 10% and 20% of all primary brain tumors. Autopsy and imaging studies have demonstrated that nearly 20% of the general…
Introduction Prolactin-secreting adenomas or prolactinomas constitute the largest group of pituitary adenomas in an autopsy series. They are responsible for approximately 27% of pituitary tumors. In the advent of medical…
Introduction The transsphenoidal route is a direct and rapid extracerebral approach to the sellar region and therefore it is the most widely used technique for the processes involving this area….
The Sellar Region The pituitary gland and sella are located below the center of the brain in the center of the skull base ( Figure 10-1 ). Access to the…
Introduction Radiotherapy has been successfully used for many decades to control tumor growth and hormonal hypersecretion of pituitary adenomas. Although initially used as a primary treatment for these neoplasms, in…
