Neurosurgery / Intraoperative Endoscopy

Pituitary Surgery & Treatment

Surgery to remove the affected gland is the mainstay of treatment for pituitary tumors. Typical kinds of surgeries are:

• A transsphenoidal hypophysectomy, which removes the tumor through a cut in the nasal passage.
• A craniotomy, which removes the tumor through a cut in the front of the skull.
  

Stanford surgeons have extensive experience operating on patients with pituitary disease, particularly in managing complex cases of disease. Intraoperative endoscopy, an innovative technique which has dramatically increased the ability of the neurosurgeon to achieve more complete tumor excision, is available for larger tumors (macroadenomas). Our medical staff of neurosurgeons, otolaryngologists, neuro-otologists, head and neck surgeons, endocrinologists, and radiation oncologists coordinate advanced medical and surgical care, including radiosurgery and skull base surgery for patients with these tumors.

Services Offered

• Evaluation by a neurosurgeon expert in pituitary tumor resection using state-of-the-art "real time" intraoperative MRI.
• Resection of large or small functional pituitary tumors including Cushing`s tumors, GH producing tumors (acromegaly) and prolactinomas resistant to medical therapy.
• Resection of non-functional pituitary lesions (adenomas, craniopharyngiomas, meningiomas, gliomas, chordomas, Rathke's cleft cysts, etc).