• Anthony O Asemota, Masaru Ishii, Henry Brem, and Gary L Gallia.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.
• Neurosurgery. 2017 Sep 1; 81 (3): 458-472.

BackgroundMicrosurgical and endoscopic techniques are commonly utilized surgical approaches to pituitary pathologies. There are limited data comparing these 2 procedures.ObjectiveTo evaluate postoperative complications, associated costs, and national and regional trends of microscopic and endoscopic techniques in the United States employing a nationwide database.MethodsThe Truven MarketScan database 2010 to 2014 was queried and Current Procedural Terminology codes identified patients that underwent microscopic and/or endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. International Classification of Diseases codes identified postoperative complications. Adjusted logistic regression and matched propensity analysis evaluated independent odds for complications.ResultsAmong 5886 cases studied, 54.49% were microscopic and 45.51% endoscopic. The commonest surgical indications were benign pituitary tumors. Annual trends showed increasing utilization of endoscopic techniques vs microscopic procedures. Postoperative complications occurred in 40.04% of cases, including diabetes insipidus (DI; 16.90%), syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH; 2.02%), iatrogenic hypopituitarism (1.36%), fluid/electrolyte abnormalities (hypoosmolality/hyponatraemia [5.03%] and hyperosmolality/hypernatraemia [2.48%]), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks (CSF rhinorrhoea [4.42%] and other CSF leak [6.52%]). In our propensity-based model, patients that underwent endoscopic surgery were more likely to develop DI (odds ratio [OR] = 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28-1.72), SIADH (OR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.04-2.24), hypoosmolality/hyponatraemia (OR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.01-1.34), CSF rhinorrhoea (OR = 2.48; 95% CI = 1.88-3.28), other CSF leak (OR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.28-1.98), altered mental status (OR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.01-2.60), and postoperative fever (OR = 4.31; 95% CI = 1.14-16.23). There were no differences in hemorrhagic complications, ophthalmological complications, or bacterial meningitis. Postoperative complications resulted in longer hospitalization and increased healthcare costs.ConclusionEndoscopic approaches are increasingly being utilized to manage sellar pathologies relative to microsurgery. Postoperative complications occur in both techniques with higher incidences observed following endoscopic procedures.Copyright © 2017 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

29 keywords...

hide…