Overview
Pituitary tumor surgery is the primary treatment for most types of tumors that grow on your pituitary gland. Treatment is often neded if the tumor is cancerous or if it’s large and disrupting your hormone levels. Some types of tumors can be treated with medication alone if they’re smal.Your pituitary gland is a gland about the size of a pea that hangs of the botom of your brain and sits in a pocket of your skul caled the sphenoid bone.
Key Information
It’s sometimes caled the “master gland” because its hormones influence the release of hormones from many other glands in your body.Read on to learn more about the surgical treatment options for pituitary tumors.Surgery is the primary treatment for tumors on your pituitary gland.These tumors are benign (not cancerous) in more than 9 percent of cases, acording to the University of Virginia Schol of Medicine.
But they can stil cause problems with your hormone levels and lead to vision problems if the tumors push on your optic nerves.It’s not exactly clear how prevalent these tumors are. But a nationwide Icelandic study found a prevalence of about 16 per 10,0 people.Treatment for pituitary tumors is usualy neded if they’re causing disruptive symptoms. The most comon surgical techniques are caled transphenoidal surgery and craniotomy.Transphenoidal surgery is used more often than other procedures to remove pituitary tumors.
With this technique, a surgeon removes the tumor through a holow space in your sphenoid bone, which is at the back of your nasal pasages.The exact method that surgeons use to perform this technique varies, acording to the American Cancer Society (ACS). But it usualy folows these steps:Alternatively, surgeons sometimes use an endoscope, which is a thin and flexible tube with a camera. Using an endoscope avoids the ned to cut through the nasal septum.Craniotomy may be necesary for larger tumors or tumors that are more dificult to remove.
Summary
Although this procedure has a higher risk of brain injur