Challenges, Learning Curve, and Safety of Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery of Sellar-Suprasellar Lesions in a Community Hospital.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) for the management of sellar, suprasellar, and anterior skull base lesions is gaining popularity. Our aim was to analyze and present the clinical outcomes of EES for the management of these lesions in a community hospital setting. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 56 patients with sellar, suprasellar, and anterior skull base lesions who underwent EES between 2010 and 2018. RESULTS: There was male predominance (53.6%) with a mean age of 54.9 ± 13.7 years. Lesions were 45 pituitary adenomas, 5 meningiomas, 3 metastatic, 1 craniopharyngioma, 1 Rathke cyst, and 1 mucocele. Gross total excision was achieved in 57.1%, subtotal excision occurred in 37.5%, and decompression and biopsy were achieved in 5.4% patients. Postoperative vision normalized or improved in 27 patients (86.1%) and was stable in 4 patients (13.9%). Recovery of a preexisting hormonal deficit occurred in 13 (23.2%) patients, and a new hormonal deficit occurred in 9 patients (16.1%). The mean hospital stay was 6.1 ± 4.9 days. Postoperative complications included cerebrospinal fluid leak in 8 patients (14.3%). Four patients (7.1%) had meningitis. Diabetes insipidus was present in 19 patients (33.9%), and postoperative intracranial hematoma requiring evacuation was necessary in 2 patients (3.6%). The mean follow-up duration was 47.5 ± 25.8 months. Lesion progression or recurrence requiring redo surgery occurred in 5 patients (8.9%). Regarding the learning curve, the postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak, meningitis, new hormonal deficits, and diabetes insipidus decreased in the second half of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: EES provides an effective and safe surgical option with low morbidity and mortality for the treatment of sellar, suprasellar, and anterior skull base lesions in a community hospital setting.

Cerebrospinal fluid shunt insertion: techniques of peritoneal catheter placement separate from abdominal fascial and peritoneal incisions.

Good abdominal wall closure is one of the basic surgical skills and is a common feature of almost all modern-day CSF shunt operations. The fact that some patients require multiple abdominal operations highlights the need for a simple and effective technique for peritoneal catheter insertion through the abdominal wall and abdominal wall closure. Although technically simple, abdominal wall closure becomes more complex when combined with the requirement to maintain CSF shunt function in cases in which the shunt catheter passes through the abdominal wall into the peritoneal cavity. In this report, the authors describe a simple technique for passing the peritoneal catheter of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt through the abdominal wall on a pathway separate from the fascial opening. This technique minimizes the risk of abdominal wall-related complications and is especially important in high-risk patients such as those with obesity and/or diabetes and in children.