Visual Outcomes after Endoscopic Endonasal Transsphenoidal Resection of Pituitary Adenomas: Our Institutional Experience

Objectives Visual dysfunction in patients with pituitary adenomas is a clear indication for endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery (EETS). However, the visual outcomes vary greatly among patients and it remains unclear what tumor, patient, and surgical characteristics contribute to postoperative visual outcomes. Methods One hundred patients with pituitary adenomas who underwent EETS between January 2011 and June 2015 in a single institution were retrospectively reviewed. General patient characteristics, pre- and postoperative visual status, clinical presentation, tumor characteristics, hormone production, radiological features, and procedural characteristics were evaluated for association with presenting visual signs and visual outcomes postoperatively. Suprasellar tumor extension (SSE) was graded 0 to 4 following a grading system as formulated by Fujimoto et al. Results Sixty-six (66/100) of all patients showed visual field defects (VFD) at the time of surgery, of whom 18% (12/66) were asymptomatic. VFD improved in 35 (35%) patients and worsened in 4 (4%) patients postoperatively. Mean visual acuity (VA) improved from 0.67 preoperatively to 0.84 postoperatively (p = 0.04). Nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) and Fujimoto grade were independent predictors of preoperative VFD in the entire cohort (p = 0.02 and p < 0.01 respectively). A higher grade of SSE was the only factor independently associated with postoperative improvement of VFD (p = 0.03). NFPA and Fujimoto grade 3 were independent predictors of VA improvement (both p = 0.04). Conclusion EETS significantly improved both VA and VFD for most patients, although a few patients showed deterioration of visual deficits postoperatively. Higher degrees of SSE and NFPA were independent predictors of favorable visual outcomes.