Microsurgery through eyebrow keyhole approach for pituitary adenomas (a report of 20 cases)

Objective To explore the therapeutic effect of microsurgery through the eyebrow keyhole approach on pituitary adenomas and its skill. Method The clinical data of 20 patients with pituitary adenoma who underwent microsurgery through the eyebrow keyhole approach from January, 2008 to June, 2009 were analyzed retrospectively. Results Postoperative MRI showed that the pituitary adenomas were totally removed in 15 patients, and subtotally in 5. The postoperative complications included diabetes insipidus in 14 patients who were recovered completely from several days to severed months after the surgery, the descent of visual activity in 2 patients, epidural hematoma in 1 patient who was perfectly recovered from the epidural hematoma not long after discharging from hospital. Conclusions The microsurgery through the eyebrow keyhole approach is a simple, convenient and microtraumatic method to treat the pituitary adenomas and its curative effect on most of the pituitary adenomas is good. The rate of total removal of the pituitary adenomas may be increased and the operative complication may be decreased by the neuroendoscope-assisted microsurgery through the eyebrow keyhole approach.