ABSTRACT
This case report details the case of a 57-year-old male who initially manifested low back pain radiating from the lumbar region to the left leg. Progressive symptoms included paresthesia on the plantar surfaces of both feet and gait instability attributed to weakness in the pelvic limbs. Computed tomography imaging revealed osteolytic lesions in the T9, T10, and T11 vertebral bodies, resulting in compression of the spinal cord. Subsequent contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging validated these findings, confirming the presence of an extradural tumor. In accordance with the Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS), the case was categorized as indicative of potential spinal instability. Consequently, a surgical intervention was performed to excise the lesion. Thus, the role of SINS played a pivotal role in guiding the decision-making process for the chosen treatment modality.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The authors conducted a pilot study on hybrid fluorescein-guided surgery for pituitary adenoma resection and herein describe the feasibility and safety of this technique. METHODS: In this pilot study, the authors included all consecutive patients presenting with pituitary adenomas, functioning and nonfunctioning. They performed a hybrid fluorescein-guided surgical technique for tumor resection. An endonasal endoscopic approach was used; after exposure of the rostrum of the sphenoid sinus, they administered a bolus of 8 mg/kg of fluorescein sodium (FNa) intravenously, and during resection, they alternated between endoscopic and microscopic techniques to guide the resection under a YELLOW 560 filter. RESULTS: The study included 15 patients, 7 men (47%) and 8 women (53%). Of the pituitary adenomas, 7 (46%) were nonfunctioning, 6 (40%) were GH secreting, 1 (7%) was prolactin secreting, and 1 (7%) was ACTH secreting. There were no FNa-related complications (anaphylactic reactions); yellowish staining of urine, skin, and mucosa was seen in all patients and resolved in a maximum time of 24 hours. After color spectrophotometric analysis, the authors identified a statistical difference in fluorescence among tumor, gland, and scar tissue (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study of its kind to describe the feasibility and safety of using FNa to guide the resection of pituitary adenomas. The authors found this technique to be safe and feasible. It may be used to obtain better surgical results, especially for hormone-producing and recurring tumors, as well as for reducing the learning curve in pituitary adenoma surgery.
