3D-Printing Technology Improves Outcomes In Pituitary Adenoma Surgery

Posted on March 4, 2019 by MaryO

Huang X, et al. Pituitary. 2019;doi:10.1007/s11102-018-0927-x.

March 3, 2019

The use of 3D-printed models could lead to less operation time and blood loss and fewer postoperative complications in adults who undergo endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas and other conditions, according to findings published in Pituitary.

“Several factors influence the outcome of endoscopic endonasal surgery, including the tumor volume, patient age, lesion location and sphenoid pneumatolysis,” Xiaobing Jiang, of the department of neurosurgery at Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and colleagues wrote. “An accurate model of the target tumor structure is a major prerequisite for a successful [pituitary adenoma] resection, especially for macroadenomas, as this may avoid disastrous complications due to suboptimal treatment.”

Jiang and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of 20 adults who underwent endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery at Union Hospital in Wuhan. Participants were included based on similar tumor sizes, the presence of no other diseases and nonintuitive tumor identification. All surgeries in the cohort occurred between January and August 2017, with 10 participants (mean age, 44.4 years; 50% women) receiving CT and MRI before surgery; the remaining 10 also received an operation with 3D printing (mean age, 41.2 years; 50% women).

To create the 3D models, images from CT and MRIs were combined. The 3D printer then used this information to create the model, which took between 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 4 hours, 32 minutes, to design and 10 hours, 12 minutes, and 22 hours, 34 minutes, to print.

After surgery, the researchers found that mean operation time was lower in participants who had 3D models compared with participants who did not (127 minutes vs. 143.4 minutes; P = .007). In addition, there was less blood loss in participants with 3D printing compared with participants without (159.9 mL vs. 170 mL; P = .009). The researchers noted that there were postoperative complications in 20% of the 3D-printing group and 40% of the CT and MRI alone group.

“As it is highly precise and allows personalization, 3D-printing technology has started to be applied in medicine in recent years. In neurosurgery, 3D-printing technology can provide models for the patients’ disease characteristics, such as skull defects, brain tumors, intracranial aneurysms and intracranial vascular malformations,” the researchers wrote. “We believe that with its continuous development, 3D-printing technology will be applied in clinical practice in the near future.” – by Phil Neuffer

Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.

From https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/neuroendocrinology/news/online/%7B582c6512-708a-4900-ad20-f0adb5a79390%7D/3d-printing-technology-improves-outcomes-in-pituitary-adenoma-surgery

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Endoscopic Surgery Should Be Standard for Cushing’s Patients with Large Tumors

Posted on May 26, 2018 by MaryO

Cushing’s disease patients with macroadenomas — pituitary tumors larger than 10 mm — should undergo transsphenoidal pituitary surgery using the endoscopic technique, according to a new systematic review.

The study, “Endoscopic vs. microscopic transsphenoidal surgery for Cushing’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” was published in the journal Pituitary.

Cushing’s disease develops due to an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenoma. The first-choice treatment for Cushing’s disease is transsphenoidal pituitary surgery, which is performed through the nose to remove pituitary tumors.

There are two main methods to conduct this kind of surgery: microscopic, which is done using a magnifying tool, and endoscopic surgery, which uses a thin, lighted tube with a tiny camera. The microscopic technique was the established method for transsphenoidal surgery, until physicians started doing endoscopic pituitary surgery in 1992.

Most surgical centers choose to perform either the microscopic or endoscopic technique but do not offer both. As a result, only a few small studies have compared the outcomes of microscopic and endoscopic surgical techniques in Cushing’s disease performed at the same center. These studies showed no clear differences in remission rates or surgical morbidity.

To date, no systematic review comparing the microscopic and the endoscopic surgical techniques in Cushing’s disease has been conducted and, therefore, convincing evidence to support either technique is lacking.

To address this, researchers set out to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis that compares the endoscopic and microscopic transsphenoidal surgery techniques for Cushing’s disease with regards to surgical outcomes and complication rates.

Researchers searched through nine electronic databases to identify potentially relevant articles. In total, 97 cohort studies with 6,695 patients were included in the study. Among the total patient population, 5,711 received microscopical surgery and 984 were endoscopically operated.

Overall remission was achieved in 80 percent of patients, with no clear differences between the techniques. The recurrence rate was around 10 percent, and short-term mortality was less than 0.5 percent.

Cerebrospinal fluid leak (due to a hole or a tear) occurred more often in patients who underwent endoscopic surgery. On the other hand, transient diabetes insipidus — short-term diabetes — occurred more often in patients who received endoscopic surgery.

When classifying patients by tumor size, however, researchers found that patients with macroadenomas — tumors larger than 10 mm — had higher rates of remission and lower recurrence rates after endoscopic surgery. Patients with microadenomas (tumors smaller than 10 mm) had comparable outcomes with either technique.

“Endoscopic surgery for patients with Cushing’s disease reaches comparable results for microadenomas, and probably better results for macroadenomas than microscopic surgery,” the investigators wrote.

Taking these results into account, the researchers suggest that endoscopic surgery may be considered the current standard of care, though microscopic surgery can be used based on the neurosurgeon’s preference.

They also emphasize that centers that solely perform the microscopic technique should consider at least referring Cushing’s disease patients with macroadenomas to a center that performs the endoscopic technique.

From https://cushingsdiseasenews.com/2018/05/24/endoscopic-surgery-more-effective-macroadenomas-cushings-study/

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Endoscopic and Microscopic Surgery Equally Effective in Cushing’s Disease

Posted on February 12, 2018 by MaryO

Using endoscopic or microscopic techniques to surgically remove the pituitary glands leads to similar remission and recurrence rates in Cushing’s disease patients, a review of 24 studies shows.

The study, titled “Outcome of endoscopic vs microsurgical transsphenoidal resection for Cushing’s disease,” was published in the journal Endocrine Connections.

In endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery, a surgeon uses a tiny camera as a guide, allowing for a panoramic surgical view with increased illumination of anatomic structures. In microsurgical transsphenoidal resection, a surgeon views through a microscope and uses minute instruments or lasers. Both procedures are used in transsphenoidal (TS) surgery to remove pituitary gland tumors, the root cause of Cushing’s disease. In transsphenoidal surgery, a surgeon accesses the pituitary gland through the nose and sinuses.

While endoscopic surgery seems to lead to better patient outcomes, it was unclear before this study if it has any advantages in patients with Cushing’s disease.

To gain more insight into the remission and recurrence rates of both techniques, researchers examined a total of 24 studies that included 1,670 adult patients with Cushing’s syndrome. Of these patients, 702 underwent endoscopic TS, and 968 underwent microsurgical TS.

The study’s authors found that remission rates were similar in both groups. In the endoscopic group, an average of 79.7 percent of patients experienced remission versus 76.9 percent in the microscopic group.

Patients who underwent endoscopic surgery experienced recurrence less often than those who underwent microscopic surgery, with recurrence rates of 11 percent and 15.9 percent, respectively. But researchers pointed out that follow-up times in the studies varied, making comparisons unreliable.

When recurrence rates were calculated by person per year, which takes follow-up time into account, both groups had a recurrence rate of approximately 4 percent per person per year.

Previous studies have shown that complications following either type of surgery occurred at comparable rates. These complications include hypothyroidism (underactivity of the thyroid gland), diabetes insipidus (a condition characterized by increased thirst), CSF leakage (leakage of fluid that normally bathes the brain and spinal cord), visual defects, hypocortisolemia (low cortisol blood levels), and hypogonadism (little or no hormones produced by the sex glands).

“We found that overall remission proportion was the same in CD patients who underwent endoscopic TS compared to patients who underwent microscopic TS. However, patients treated with the endoscopic approach for micro-adenomas were more likely to achieve remission than those treated microsurgically. Patients treated endoscopically were less likely to experience recurrence; however, when follow-up time is taken into account, this advantage disappears,” the researchers concluded.

 

From https://cushingsdiseasenews.com/2018/02/01/cushings-disease-transsphenoidal-surgery-study-finds-endoscopic-microscopic-procedures-equally-effective/

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Endoscopic Surgery on a Pituitary Adenoma

Posted on February 4, 2017 by MaryO

Philip Theodosopoulos, M.D. is Professor and Vice-Chair of Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. He is the Director of the Skull Base Tumor Program and has extensive experience performing endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery for pituitary tumors (over 1000 operations) and other disease processes as well as tumors of the base of the skull.

In this video Dr. Theodosopoulos illustrates portions of an endoscopic resection of a pituitary adenoma.

 

To learn more about Dr. Theodosopoulos and to schedule an appointment for consultation please copy this link:
neurosurgery.UCSF.edu/index.php/about_us_faculty_theodosopoulos.html

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UAE Patient’s (Pituitary) Brain Tumour Removed Through Nostrils

Posted on December 2, 2016 by MaryO

Dubai: A 34-year-old patient working as a crane operator has undergone a remarkable new procedure of surgery at Thumbay Hospital, Dubai, that facilitated the removal of a brain tumour through the nostrils.

The patient, Mehnaj Khan, a Pakistani crane operator, underwent endoscopic trans-nasal trans-sphenoidal surgery in September, where the tumour was removed through the nose by endoscopic surgery without any cut or stitches on the skin. The father of five children has now made a full recovery, with improved vision, a hospital spokesperson said.

Khan first noticed something was wrong when his eyesight began to diminish, first the right eye, followed by the left eye. Although he had ignored his frequent bouts of headache for two years, Khan was compelled to visit an ophthalmologist due to vision deterioration. When an eye check-up revealed nothing was wrong, he was referred to to Thumbay Hospital, where an MRI scan of the brain revealed that he had a large tumour in the pituitary gland, pressing on the optic apparatus of brain and also hypothalamus, a very vital part of brain. This tumour was pressing on his optic nerves, causing him to slowly lose his sight.

Dr. Ishwar Chandra Premsagar, consultant neurosurgeon at Thumbay Hospital who operated on Khan, said: “Conventionally, such operations require surgeons to open the skull — a procedure known as a craniotomy. Alternatively, affected portions of the brain are reached via major incisions in the side of the face or inside the mouth, leaving behind major scars of the surgery. However, the patient’s tumour was removed by suctioning it out through his nose.”

An ear nose and throat (ENT) surgeon and an eye surgeon were consulted to plan the surgery and save further deterioration of vision while providing a chance for complete recovery.

Khan, who was nearly blind in one eye with the tumour growth, expressed his gratitude to the hospital and the teams of surgeons as he noticed improvement in his vision after the surgery. By the end of the week, he could read too. The patient was very thankful to the team of surgeons.

Dr Premsagar added: “The endoscope provides a close-up view of the pituitary, allowing the surgeon to remove the entire tumour out in one go through the nostrils, causing no disfigurement or damage to the brain. On the other hand, the procedure ensures far less danger of brain damage or stroke, and the patient usually makes a quicker recovery. Although post-surgery, deterioration of vision stops, but one cannot guarantee complete recovery of vision. This patient was lucky as his vision improved, but it may not happen in all patients. Hence, it is extremely important that one should ensure early consultation, diagnosis and surgery to ensure high chances of recovery.”

From http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/health/uae-patient-s-brain-tumour-removed-through-nostrils-1.1933841

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