Methods: The retrospective observational study of all consecutive cases of pituitary adenoma treated with ETS in Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) between 2006 and 2015. Age, sex, pre- and post-operative hormone level, tumour size, and complications were noted.
Results: A total of 67 patients were diagnosed with non-functioning pituitary adenoma throughout this period. Of these, 11 patients had both visual and hormonal improvement post-operation. Of the 27 patients with tumour invaded into the cavernous sinus, 13 showed an improved vision. In the adenoma patients who had impaired hormonal function before the surgery, the hormone level normalised post-surgery in 42 patients. Moreover, 39 patients were diagnosed with functioning pituitary adenoma. Ten patients recovered from acromegaly and four patients recovered from Cushing disease within seven days post-operative. Also, five patients with functioning adenoma suffered complications.
Conclusion: Outcome for the preservation and hormone recovery in non-functioning pituitary adenoma group was satisfactory, with only one patient's hormonal level worsening. No visual deterioration and mortality were detected throughout this study. A dedicated team specialised in endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery further improved the outcome of this surgical method.
LEARNING POINTS: There is a broad range of differential diagnosis for acromegaloid features such as acromegaly, pseudoacromegaly with severe insulin resistance, Marfan's syndrome, McCune-Albright and a rare condition called pachydermoperiostosis.Once a patient is suspected to have acromegaly, the first step is biochemical testing to confirm the clinical diagnosis, followed by radiologic testing to determine the cause of the excess growth hormone (GH) secretion. The cause is a somatotroph adenoma of the pituitary in over 95 percent of cases.The first step is measurement of a serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). A normal serum IGF1 concentration is strong evidence that the patient does not have acromegaly.If the serum IGF1 concentration is high (or equivocal), serum GH should be measured after oral glucose administration. Inadequate suppression of GH after a glucose load confirms the diagnosis of acromegaly.Once the presence of excess GH secretion is confirmed, the next step is pituitary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Atypical presentation warrants revision of the diagnosis. This patient presented with clubbing with no gigantism, which is expected in adolescent acromegalics as the growth spurt and epiphyseal plate closure have not taken place yet.