Loculated hydrocephalus: is neuroendoscopy effective and safe? A 90 patients' case series and literature review

INTRODUCTION

Loculated hydrocephalus is a complex condition in which different non-communicating compartments form within the ventricular system due to different etiology, mainly intraventricular hemorrhage and infection. Since the end of the twentieth century, neuroendoscopy has been explored as a therapeutic option for loculated hydrocephalus with non-univocal results.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of 90 patients who underwent endoscopic treatment for loculated hydrocephalus from January 1997 to January 2021 (mean age: 2 years, range 7-21). We included 37 (41.1%) children with multiloculated hydrocephalus, 37 (41.1%) with isolated lateral ventricle, 13 (14.4%) with excluded temporal horn, and 3 (3.3%) with isolated fourth ventricle. We compared our results with those available in literature.

RESULTS

A mean of 1.91 endoscopic procedure/patient were performed (only one endoscopy in 42.2% of cases). Complications of neuroendoscopy and of shunt surgeries were recorded in 17 (18.9%) and 52 (57.8%) children, respectively. Twenty-six (28.9%) children were shunt-free at the last follow-up, 47.8% have only one shunt.

DISCUSSION

The first goal of neuroendoscopy is to increase the rate of shunt-free patients but, when it is not possible, it aims at simplifying shunt system and reducing the number of surgical procedures. In our series, neuroendoscopy was able to achieve both these goals with an acceptable complication rate. Thus, our results confirmed neuroendoscopy as a valid tool in the long-term management of loculated hydrocephalus. Neuronavigation and intraoperative ultrasound could increase the success rate in cases with distorted anatomy.

Presentation and surgical results of incidentally discovered nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas: evidence for a better outcome independently of other patients' characteristics

OBJECTIVE

Few data are available on the surgical results in patients with incidentally discovered nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA). We investigated the efficacy and safety of surgery in patients with incidentally discovered NFPA.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of prospectively recorded outcomes.

METHODS

From 1990 to 2011, of 804 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for NFPA, 212 cases had an incidentally discovered tumor (26.4%). Among them, 117 patients were asymptomatic, while 95 had some visual and/or hormonal deficit. The main outcome of the study was to evaluate the frequency of radical resection as judged on the first postoperative neuroimaging study and detection of recurring disease during long-term follow-up.

RESULTS

Postoperative residual tumor was detected in 8.9% of patients with asymptomatic incidentalomas as compared with 31.2% of patients with symptomatic incidentalomas (P<0.001) and 41.2% of patients in the control group (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that having an asymptomatic incidentaloma was independently associated with a better outcome. The 5-year recurrence-free survival in patients with incidentaloma was 86.8% (95% CI 80.2-92.4%) as compared with 77.9% (95% CI 73.6-82.2%; P<0.01) in the control group. This difference was almost completely due to a lower frequency of relapse in asymptomatic patients. Multivariate analysis confirmed the independent lower risk of tumor recurrence in asymptomatic NFPA.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows for the first time that surgically treated patients with asymptomatic NFPA have a better early and long-term outcome that is independent from all the other demographic, clinical, and morphologic characteristics of the patients.

Neurosurgical treatment of craniopharyngioma in adults and children: early and long-term results in a large case series

OBJECT

Craniopharyngioma accounts for 2%-5% of all primary intracranial neoplasms. The optimal management of craniopharyngioma remains controversial. The authors evaluated the early results of surgery and the longterm risk of tumor recurrence in a large series of patients undergoing resection of craniopharyngiomas.

METHODS

Between 1990 and 2008, 112 consecutive patients (57 male and 55 female patients with a mean [± SEM] age of 33.3 ± 1.8 years) underwent resection of craniopharyngiomas at the authors' hospital. Recurrence or growth of residual tumor tissue during follow-up was assessed using MR imaging.

RESULTS

There were 3 perioperative deaths (2.7%). Severe adverse events were more frequent in patients who underwent operations via the transcranial route (37%) than the transsphenoidal approach (5.6%; p < 0.001). Magnetic resonance imaging showed radical resection of the tumor in 78 (71.6%) of the remaining 109 patients. Previous surgery and maximum tumor diameter were associated with persistence of disease after surgery. Craniopharyngioma recurred in 26 (24.5%) of 106 patients. Presence of residual tumor on the first postoperative MR imaging, male sex, and no postoperative radiation therapy were associated with a risk of tumor recurrence. Quality-of-life data were assessed in the 91 patients who attended the authors' institution for follow-up visits. Among them, 8.8% patients were partially or completely dependent on others for daily living activities before surgery. This percentage increased to 14.3% at the last follow-up visit. The 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 94.4% (95% CI 90.0%-98.8%) and 90.3% (95% CI 83.4%-97.3%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Complete surgical removal of craniopharyngioma can be achieved with reasonable safety in more than 70% of patients. Recurrence of craniopharyngioma may occur even after apparent radical excision. Prompt management of residual or recurring disease by radiotherapy, repeat surgery, or a combination of both is usually successful in controlling further tumor growth.

Persistent adrenocorticotropin response to desmopressin in the early postoperative period predicts recurrence of Cushing's disease

CONTEXT

Patients with Cushing's disease (CD) often show an ACTH and cortisol response to desmopressin (DDAVP).

OBJECTIVE

We tested whether persistence of a positive response to DDAVP after successful surgery identifies patients at risk of CD recurrence.

DESIGN

We prospectively included all CD patients who had a positive response to DDAVP before successful surgery from 1995 through 2007.

SETTING

The study was performed at a university hospital.

PATIENTS

One hundred seventy-four patients with CD, 148 women and 26 men, mean age 36.1 +/- 0.8 yr, were studied. The median follow-up after surgery was 58 months (interquartile range 22-93 months).

INTERVENTION

DDAVP test was performed immediately before and after surgery.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

An ACTH and cortisol increment of at least 30 and 20% above baseline, respectively, were considered as a positive response to DDAVP. The risk of CD recurrence was analyzed according to the postoperative hormonal response to DDAVP.

RESULTS

Recurrence of CD occurred in 19 patients (10.9%). The recurrence-free survival at 5 yr was 89.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 84.2-95.4]. Patients with a positive ACTH response had a 5-yr recurrence-free survival of 82.6% (95% CI 70.6-94.6%) as compared with 94.0% (95% CI 88.2-99.8%; P < 0.01) in patients without it. Multivariate analysis showed that persistence of a positive ACTH response to DDAVP was significantly associated with CD recurrence.

CONCLUSION

Positive ACTH response to DDAVP after surgery is associated with an increased risk of CD recurrence. However, the specificity and predictive value of this finding are low.

Early results of surgery in patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma and analysis of the risk of tumor recurrence

OBJECT

Nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) are benign tumors of the pituitary gland that typically cause visual and/or hormonal dysfunction. Surgery is the treatment of choice, but patients remain at risk for tumor recurrence for several years afterwards. The authors evaluate the early results of surgery and the long-term risk of tumor recurrence in patients with NFPAs.

METHODS

Between 1990 and 2005, 491 previously untreated patients with NFPA underwent surgery at the Università Vita-Salute. Determinations of recurrence or growth of the residual tumor tissue during the follow-up period were based on neuroradiological criteria.

RESULTS

Residual tumor after surgery was detected in 173 patients (36.4%). Multivariate analysis showed that invasion of the cavernous sinus, maximum tumor diameter, and absence of tumor apoplexy were associated with an unfavorable surgical outcome. At least 2 sets of follow-up neuroimaging studies were obtained in 436 patients (median follow-up 53 months). Tumors recurred in 83 patients (19.0%). When tumor removal appeared complete, younger age at surgery was associated with a risk of tumor recurrence. In patients with incomplete tumor removal, adjunctive postoperative radiotherapy had a marked protective effect against growth of residual tumor.

CONCLUSIONS

Complete surgical removal of NFPAs can be safely achieved in > 50% of cases. Visual symptoms and, less frequently, pituitary function may improve after surgery. However, tumor can recur in patients after apparently complete surgical removal. In patients with incomplete tumor removal, radiation therapy is the most effective adjuvant therapy for preventing residual tumor growth.

Surgical treatment of giant pituitary adenomas: strategies and results in a series of 95 consecutive patients

OBJECTIVE

Giant pituitary adenomas, defined as those measuring at least 4 cm in maximum diameter, are a therapeutic challenge. We report our experience in a large, consecutive series of patients with giant adenomas.

METHODS

Between 1990 and 2004, 95 patients with a giant pituitary adenomas underwent surgery at our department. Nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma was the most frequent type (n = 70; 73.7%), whereas hormone-secreting adenomas numbered only 25 (26.3%). The mean age at the time of surgery (+/-standard error of the mean) was 48.4 +/- 1.5 years; there were 66 men (69.5%) and 29 women (20.5%).

RESULTS

In total, 111 surgical procedures were performed. Of these, 85 approaches (76.6%) were transsphenoidal and 26 (23.4%) were transcranial. Visual improvement occurred in 59 of the 79 patients with preoperative defect who could be evaluated after surgery (74.7%). Radical tumor excision was obtained in 14 patients (14.7%). Adjuvant medical and radiation therapies led to 74.5% (95% confidence interval, 62.7-86.4%) control of tumor growth at 5 years. This was not different in patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas compared with patients with hormone-secreting tumors. In the subgroup of patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas, radiation therapy had a protective role against tumor growth (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Maximal surgical removal of giant adenomas through the transsphenoidal or transcranial approach, or both, aimed to relieve compression of the optic pathway and reduce tumor volume as much as possible, offers the best chances to control the tumor when followed with adjuvant medical and radiation therapies.

Results of Transsphenoidal Surgery in a Large Series of Patients with Pituitary Adenoma

OBJECTIVE:

To report the efficacy and safety of microsurgical transsphenoidal surgery in a series of previously untreated patients with pituitary adenoma.

METHODS:

One thousand one hundred forty consecutive patients undergoing transsphenoidal resection of a pituitary adenoma at our department from January 1990 through December 2002 were included in our study. Postoperative results were classified uniformly during the period of the study. Patients were considered in remission of disease when strict hormonal and radiological criteria of cure were met.

RESULTS:

The most frequent tumor type was clinically nonfunctioning adenoma (NFPA) (33.2%), followed by growth hormone-secreting adenoma (28.1%), adrenocorticotropin-secreting adenoma (23.0%), prolactin-secreting adenoma (13.2%), and last, thyrotropin-secreting adenoma (2.5%). The patient population was 59.7% female and 40.3% male. Mean age was 43.0 ± 0.4 years. There were 788 macroadenomas (69.1%), and in 233 patients (20.4%), the tumor invaded one or both cavernous sinuses. The overall rate of early surgical success was achieved in 504 (66.1%) of the 762 patients with a hormone-active adenoma. Surgical outcome was better in patients with microadenomas than in patients with macroadenomas (78.9% and 55.5%, respectively), whereas tumors invading the cavernous sinus had a poorer outcome (7.4%). In patients with NFPA, no residual adenoma was present in 234 patients (64.8%). Normalization of visual defects occurred in 117 (40.5%) of the 289 patients with visual disturbances and improved in another 148 patients (51.2%). Three patients (0.3%) died as a consequence of surgery.

CONCLUSION:

Transsphenoidal surgery is an effective and safe treatment for most patients with pituitary adenoma and could be considered the first-choice therapy in all cases except for prolactinomas responsive to dopamine agonists. Other treatment methods, such as radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and medical therapy, play an important role in patients not cured by surgery.

Surgical treatment of prolactin-secreting pituitary adenomas: early results and long-term outcome

Medical therapy with dopaminergic drugs is the preferred initial treatment for symptomatic prolactin (PRL)-secreting adenomas; but in recent years, there has been a renewed interest in surgery. The aim of this study is to report a large series of patients operated for prolactinoma in the last 10 yr. A total of 120 consecutive patients (93 female, 27 male) underwent surgery from January 1990 to December 1999. Their mean age at surgery was 29.7 +/- 0.9 yr. Fifty-nine patients (49.2%) had a microadenoma, and the remaining 61 (50.8%) had a macroadenoma, of which 24 (20%) were intrasellar and 37 (30.8%) were extrasellar adenoma. Magnetic resonance imaging signs of invasion of the cavernous sinus were detected in 18 patients (15.0%). Thirty-one patients (25.8%) had never been treated before, whereas the remaining 89 (74.2%) had received dopaminergic drugs. After surgery, normalization of PRL levels occurred in 77 patients (64.2%). Logistic regression analysis showed that the only predictive factor of unsuccessful surgery was a high preoperative PRL level. Recurrence of hyperprolactinemia occurred in 13 of the 77 cured patients (16.9%) during a mean follow-up of 50.2 +/- 3.0 months; the 5-yr disease-free survival was 75.9%. Extrasellar extension of the tumor and presence of a postoperative PRL response to TRH were associated with a lower risk of relapse. In summary, surgery normalized PRL levels and relieved symptoms of hyperprolactinemia in most patients. Recurrence of hyperprolactinemia occurred within 4 yr after surgery. Transsphenoidal surgery can be offered as a definitive therapy, especially to patients with intrasellar tumors.

Effects of octreotide treatment on the proliferation and apoptotic index of GH-secreting pituitary adenomas

To investigate the effects of octreotide administration on the growth rate of GH-secreting pituitary adenomas, we measured both the Ki-67 labeling index (LI) and the apoptotic index in tumor specimens from octreotide-treated or matched untreated acromegalic patients. Thirty-nine patients who received octreotide until the day of or the day before surgery and 39 untreated patients matched for sex, age, tumor size, extension, and invasiveness were studied. Immunocytochemical analysis was performed on paraffin-embedded material using a monoclonal antibody (MIB-1) directed against a proliferation-associated nuclear antigen, Ki-67, to measure the growth fraction. Apoptosis was assessed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxy-UTP nick endlabeling method, using a monoclonal antibody recognizing areas of DNA fragmentation. The Ki-67 LI and apoptosis were counted on separate slides in at least 1000 evaluable cells. Octreotide-treated patients showed a lower Ki-67 LI (1.8 +/- 0.3%) than untreated controls (3.8 +/- 0.7%; P < 0.02). Overall, the mean Ki-67 LI of treated patients was 53% lower than that in untreated patients. The antiproliferative effect of octreotide occurred independently of tumor extension and invasiveness. Octreotide-treated and untreated patients showed similar apoptotic indexes (0.6 +/- 0.2% and 0.8 +/- 0.3%, respectively). There was a positive correlation between the Ki-67 LI and the apoptotic index (r = 0.29; P < 0.03). Our study demonstrates that acromegalic patients receiving chronic octreotide treatment have a lower value of the proliferation marker Ki-67, but no significant difference in the apoptotic index compared with matched untreated patients. The antiproliferative effect of octreotide on GH-secreting adenomas should imply a lower risk of tumor growth during long-term chronic treatment with the drug.

Endocrine inactive and gonadotroph adenomas: diagnosis and management

Endocrine inactive pituitary adenomas represent about one quarter of all pituitary tumors. By immunocytochemistry, most of these tumors are positive for intact gonadotropins and/or their subunits. Clinical presentation is usually secondary to mass effect symptoms, such as visual disturbances, headache, and hypopituitarism. Differential diagnosis is usually accomplished by neuroradiologic studies, even though in selected cases positron emission tomography and/or single photon emission tomography may aid to distinguish pituitary adenomas from other endocrine inactive lesions, such as meningiomas and craniopharyngiomas. Surgical management is usually considered the first choice treatment for patients with endocrine inactive pituitary adenomas because it is very effective in ameliorating symptoms of chiasmal compression and headache. Radical removal of the tumor, however, is difficult to obtain because of the frequent invasiveness into the cavernous sinus. Radiation therapy diminishes the likelihood of tumor recurrence, especially in patients with demonstrable tumor remnants after surgery. Medical therapy with dopaminergic drugs, somatostatin analogs, or gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists or antagonists causes mild reduction of tumor size in few patients and, therefore, seems to be of limited value in the therapeutic management of patients with endocrine inactive pituitary adenomas.

Desmopressin stimulation test before and after pituitary surgery in patients with Cushing's disease

OBJECTIVE

The desmopressin test has been proposed as a useful tool for the differential diagnosis of Cushing's disease. The aim of our study was to investigate, in a large series of patients with Cushing's disease, the incidence of a positive ACTH and cortisol response to desmopressin. Moreover, we repeated the test soon after surgery to verify its usefulness in the assessment of early and late surgical results.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred and seven consecutive patients with Cushing's disease, 89 female and 18 male patients, with a mean age of 37.2 +/- 1.3 years, were studied. All patients, except three, repeated the test 5-6 days after surgery. Desmopressin (10 microg) was injected i.v. and blood samples were drawn 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes thereafter. Plasma ACTH and serum cortisol were measured in duplicate by commercially available immunoassays. A positive response to desmopressin was considered to be a plasma ACTH and serum cortisol increment of at least 30% and 20% above baseline, respectively.

RESULTS

Mean basal plasma ACTH level was 17.3 +/- 1.7 pmol/l and rose to a peak level of 42.7 +/- 4.9 pmol/l at 15 minutes Mean basal serum cortisol level was 574 +/- 19 nmol/l and rose to a peak level of 814 +/- 28 nmol/l at 45 minutes. ACTH and cortisol incremental changes were inversely correlated with their respective basal levels. Ninety patients (84.1%) had an ACTH and 84 patients (78.5%) had a cortisol response to desmopressin. Several clinical and demographic characteristics were not significantly different among desmopressin responders and non responders, except that basal ACTH and cortisol levels were significantly higher in desmopressin non responders (27.2 +/- 8.3 pmol/l, 781 +/- 86 nmol/l) than in desmopressin responders (15.4 +/- 1.2 pmol/l, 535 +/- 14 nmol/l). Disappearance of the ACTH and cortisol response to desmopressin after surgery occurred in 50 of 87 (57%) ACTH responders and in 57 of 81 (70.4%) cortisol responders, respectively. However, concordance between the desmopressin test and surgical outcome was not complete. Indeed, 18 patients considered in remission still showed an ACTH increase after desmopressin and, on the contrary, four patients with disappearance of the ACTH response had persistence of hypercortisolism. During follow-up monitoring, three patients, who had persistence of the ACTH response to desmopressin, relapsed 24, 38 and 54 months after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Desmopressin administration elicits a significant rise in ACTH and cortisol levels in the majority but not all patients with Cushing's disease. There is a good, but not complete, concordance between the response to the desmopressin test and the surgical outcome. Our preliminary data show that persistence of the ACTH response to desmopressin in the early postoperative period might be associated with a higher risk of late relapse.

Proliferation index of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas: correlations with clinical characteristics and long-term follow-up results

OBJECTIVE

The recurrence of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) after surgical removal is common. The aim of our study was to investigate and correlate the growth fraction of NFPAs with clinical characteristics and long-term follow-up results.

METHODS

Tumor specimens were obtained from 101 consecutive patients with NFPAs (48 female patients and 53 male patients; mean age, 52.0 +/- 1.5 yr). Specimens were immediately fixed in 10% buffered formalin and then embedded in paraffin. The Ki-67 antigen was assessed by immunocytochemical analysis using the monoclonal antibody MIB-1. The Ki-67 antigen labeling index (LI) was determined by counting a total of at least 1,000 neoplastic nuclei.

RESULTS

The mean Ki-67 LI for the 101 patients was 2.4 +/- 0.3% (range, 0-23.0%). Only age at surgery was inversely correlated with the Ki-67 LI; sex, maximal tumor diameter, and invasiveness into the cavernous sinuses did not significantly affect the Ki-67 LI. The mean follow-up period was 39.7 +/- 2.1 months. During follow-up monitoring, 23 patients experienced tumor recurrence, after a mean period of 28.6 +/- 4.8 months. Invasiveness of the tumor on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging scans was the strongest predictor of late tumor recurrence, followed by previous pituitary surgery, younger age, and lack of postoperative radiotherapy. The Ki-67 LI had no independent prognostic value.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that the clinical characteristics of patients with NFPAs, except for age at surgery, are not correlated with the Ki-67 LI. Moreover, the Ki-67 LI does not seem to provide independent information to identify patients at high risk for tumor recurrence.

Surgical management of thyrotropin-secreting pituitary adenomas

The reported cases of hyperthyroidism due to a TSH-secreting pituitary adenoma have steadily increased in previous years; however, information about the results and long term outcome after pituitary surgery is scanty. Twenty-four patients with a TSH-secreting adenoma underwent pituitary surgery at our department in the last 15 years. Hypersecretion of other pituitary hormones was diagnosed in 7 patients. Three patients were euthyroid at the time of surgery because of previous ablative thyroid therapies. The success rate of surgery strictly depends on the criteria used. Normalization of elevated FT3 and FT4 levels occurred in 17 of the 21 patients with preoperative hyperthyroidism: however, only those with early postoperative undetectable TSH level (12 cases) had no recurrence of disease during follow-up and no residual tumor tissue on postoperative MRI, whereas recurrence of hyperthyroidism occurred in 3 of the 5 patients without postoperative TSH inhibition. All 3 euthyroid patients had a subtotal removal of the tumor, as judged by postoperative MRI. Surgical removal is the therapy of choice of TSH-secreting adenomas, whereas radiotherapy and medical treatment with somatostatin analogues are usually reserved to patients with incomplete tumor removal. A thorough postoperative evaluation is necessary to discriminate between complete and partial remission of disease.