Cesare Cavina (1888-1935): a father of transsphenoidal surgery.

Among the fathers of transsphenoidal surgery, a relevant role should be reserved for Cesare Cavina (1888-1935). He had the merit to develop and popularize in Italy this approach for pituitary tumors, performing 47 transsphenoidal hypophysectomies out of his personal series of 66 patients between 1927 and 1935. He contributed to this surgery by introducing radiological control of the surgical trajectory to reduce the risk of complications and increase the safety of this approach. We think that both his short lifespan (he died when he was 47 years old) and the language of his papers (Italian and not English) are two important factors that have contributed to forgetting his role in the history of transsphenoidal surgery. We think that Prof. Cesare Cavina is definitively one of the fathers of transsphenoidal surgery and that it is important to preserve his memory.

Traditional endonasal and microscopic sinus surgery complications versus endoscopic sinus surgery complications: a meta-analysis.

The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of complications of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) to the incidence of complications of traditional and microscopic sinus surgery. A meta-analysis was carried out on 28 series of patients (a total of 13,405) who had undergone ESS, 8 series of patients (3,887 in total) who had undergone traditional endonasal sinus surgery and 7 series of patients (1,630 in total) who had undergone microscopic sinus surgery. The authors used the Bayesian inference package WinBUGS operating from within the statistical computer program R (version 2.7.1). Major complications had a higher incidence after traditional sinus surgery than ESS but this fact did not cause a significant statistical difference, whereas microscopic surgery had significantly more complications than ESS (p < 0.05). Carrying out our meta-analytic study, comparing major and minor complications of endonasal surgical approaches, was very difficult due to several methodological biases of data extraction and evaluation from studies concerning a broad timespan. Regarding major complications, we only found a significant statistical difference (p < 0.05) between the endoscopic (1%) and the microscopic methods (2.0%), but, if we had analyzed the data considering the natural learning curve of the latest ESS surgical approach, and if we had not considered the results produced in the first 10 years (1988-1998) concerning ESS in our meta-analysis, we would have found a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the endoscopic (0.4%) and the traditional (1.1%) approach as well.

The endoscopic versus the traditional approach in pituitary surgery.

The transsphenoidal route is the most widely used technique for pituitary adenoma surgery due to its rapidity, good tolerance, effectiveness and low complication rate. These are the parameters we utilized in comparing endoscopic with microscopic transsphenoidal surgery. We reviewed the medical records of 418 patients affected by pituitary adenomas who underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery between May 1998 and December 2004, and in this paper, we present the results of 381 patients who fulfilled the follow-up criteria after a minimum period of 15 months. Our experience confirms the previous data on the rapidity and satisfactory tolerance of the endoscopic procedure. We also confirm the low complication rate, specifying that complications characteristic of the approaching phase were certainly reduced; instead, complications characteristic of tumor removal still remained similar to those reported in the microsurgical literature. The results were comparable with those of the best microsurgical series regarding endosellar lesions, but tumor removal was notably superior when dealing with tumors having an extrasellar extension. The improvement may be explained by the excellent vision of the deep surgical fields due to the endoscope and by the extreme flexibility of the surgical trajectory, mainly due to the absence of the divaricator, giving access to the ramifications of the tumor, otherwise difficult to reach.

Endoscopic sinus surgery for the treatment of vascular tumors.

BACKGROUND: This study points out the effectiveness of the endoscopic approach for the treatment of vascular lesions such as angiofibroma, hemangioma, and hemangiopericytoma involving the nose and paranasal sinuses. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study at an academic tertiary referral center. Thirteen patients, diagnosed with vascular tumors of the nose and paranasal sinuses were treated endoscopically between February 1996 and July 2003. All patients underwent endonasal endoscopic surgery. Preoperative angiography with embolization was performed in all but two cases. RESULTS: The follow-up of this series varied from 6 to 75 months (mean, 23 months); only one recurrence (8%) was observed in the juvenile angiofibroma group encountered 20 months postoperatively. This recurrence was again treated endoscopically. The average intraoperative blood loss for the removal of the juvenile angiofibroma group was 300 mL and it was 100 mL for the other vascular tumors. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic treatment alone is an effective approach for the removal of selected cases of vascular tumors. Even in the presence of a lesion with limited intracranial extension, the tumor still may be amenable to an endoscopic approach alone. On the contrary, this is not true if the intracranial extension receives feeding vessels from the internal carotid arterial system.

The endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal approach for the treatment of cranial base chordomas and chondrosarcomas.

OBJECTIVE: We report our experience with endoscopic transsphenoidal or extended endoscopic transsphenoidal approaches for the treatment of cranial base lesions such as clival chordomas and chondrosarcomas. METHODS: Between May 1998 and April 2004, 11 patients (four were recurrences because they previously had been treated with surgery and/or radiotherapy) underwent transnasal transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery for cranial base chordomas and chondrosarcomas at the Neurosurgical Department of Bellaria Hospital in Bologna. The transsphenoidal endoscopic approach and the ethmoid-pterygo-sphenoidal endoscopic approach were used to accomplish resection of the lesions involving the clivus and extending up to the parasellar region and to the petrous apex, or within the cavernous sinus. RESULTS: Patient follow-up periods ranged from 15 to 69 months (mean, 27 mo). Three patients died of chordoma progression at 20, 14, and 10 months, respectively, after endoscopic treatment. One patient experienced two recurrences; the first was treated using a new endoscopic approach, whereas the second, 1 year later, was treated by means of a far lateral approach. Four patients underwent postoperative proton beam radiotherapy, whereas one underwent a conventional megavoltage x-radiation therapy. However, postoperative radiotherapy was not administered in the two patients treated for cranial base chondrosarcoma. CONCLUSION: The flexibility of this new technique with respect to the classical microscopic transsphenoidal approach permits us to widen the horizon of surgical management of aggressive cranial base tumors such as clival chordomas and chondrosarcomas.

The endoscopic extended transsphenoidal approach for craniopharyngiomas.

OBJECTIVE: The endoscope has recently been applied to the supradiaphragmatic transsphenoidal approach, but only case reports dealing with different pathological features have been described. The authors present their experience with this technique in 10 patients with craniopharyngiomas. METHODS: A pure endoscopic endonasal technique was used. From November 1998 through May 2005, four males and six females with a craniopharyngioma, either purely supradiaphragmatic (six patients) or with a significant suprasellar component (four patients), were treated. The tumors had a mean diameter of 2.9 cm (range, 1-4 cm); four patients had a major prechiasmatic component and six had a retrochiasmatic one. RESULTS: Seven total, one subtotal, and two partial resections were obtained. Vision symptoms improved significantly in six out of eight patients. Endocrine function did not improve after surgery, and diabetes insipidus was the most frequent deficit, although it was transient in five out of eight patients. Cerebrospinal fluid leak was the most frequent complication and required reoperation in two patients. Postoperative obesity occurred in two patients. No recurrence has yet been documented in the total resection group. The mean follow-up period is 37 months (range, 3-75 mo). CONCLUSION: The endoscopic technique allows results comparable with the best microscopic series. We think that this technique increases the safety of the procedure because of improved vision. Further studies are required to better define the exact location of the tumor with respect to the arachnoidal plane, the extra-arachnoidal craniopharyngioma being the most suitable for a radical removal using a transsphenoidal supradiaphragmatic approach.

Endoscopic treatment of benign tumors of the nose and paranasal sinuses: a report of 33 cases.

BACKGROUND: The endoscopic approach can be used successfully for the treatment of benign tumors such as fibroosseous and vascular lesions, pleomorphic adenoma, glioma, meningioma, and schwannoma. METHODS: Thirty-three patients diagnosed with benign tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses and treated using an endoscopic approach were reviewed retrospectively. The endoscopic approach was simple in 28 cases and associated with an external approach in 5 cases (because of an intracranial extension of the tumor in four patients and its location at the level of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus in the last case). RESULTS: The resection of the lesions was complete in 32 patients and subtotal in one case. The mean follow-up was 28 months and only two recurrences (6%) were observed in the juvenile angiofibroma group and in the case of the fibrous dysplasia associated to aneurysmal bone cyst, respectively, 20 and 24 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: In selected cases, endoscopic surgery can be considered an effective treatment for the resection of benign tumors involving the sinonasal tract.

Transsphenoidal endoscopic approach in the treatment of Rathke's cleft cyst.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, the usefulness of the transsphenoidal endoscopic approach in the treatment of a Rathke's cleft cyst is reported. METHODS: Between June 1998 and December 2002, 22 patients affected by sellar-suprasellar Rathke's cleft cysts were treated using a transsphenoidal endoscopic approach. Fourteen patients experienced pituitary dysfunction (64%), five experienced visual impairment (23%), and three reported headaches (14%). RESULTS: The patient follow-up ranged from 8 to 60 months (mean, 33 mo). Pituitary function was restored only in the four patients with hyperprolactinemia, whereas visual impairment and headache improved in all patients. However, when present before surgery, hypopituitarism was unaffected by surgery. Two patients experienced permanent diabetes insipidus (one of them before surgery). Only one recurrence was observed in a 13-year-old girl at 12 months after surgery, and it was treated using a new transsphenoidal endoscopic approach. CONCLUSION: The transsphenoidal endoscopic approach represents a straightforward and mini-invasive approach for the drainage and biopsy of a Rathke's cleft cyst.

Endoscopic treatment of benign tumors of the nose and paranasal sinuses.

OBJECTIVE: The endoscopic approach can be successfully employed for the treatment of benign tumors such as fibroosseus and vascular lesions, pleomorphic adenomas, gliomas, and schwannomas. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Nineteen patients diagnosed with benign tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses and treated using an endoscopic approach were retrospectively reviewed. The endoscopic approach was used exclusively in 15 cases and was associated with an external approach in 4 cases (due to an intracranial extension of the tumor in 3 patients and its location at the level of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus in the last case). RESULTS: The resection of the lesions was radical in 18 patients and subtotal in 1 case. The mean follow-up was 27 months and only 1 recurrence (5%) was observed in the juvenile angiofibroma group 20 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: and significance In selected cases, endoscopic surgery can be considered an effective treatment for the resection of benign tumors involving the sinonasal tract.

Endoscopic treatment of paranasal sinus mucoceles in children.

In this study, we have pointed out the effectiveness of the endoscopic approach for the treatment of three children affected by mucoceles. Two patients complained of visual disturbances while one complained of persistent bitemporal headache. None of these cases was affected by cystic fibrosis. The endoscopic treatment consisted mainly of drainage and marsupialization of the mucocele. These young patients were free of any recurrence and symptoms at 36, 30, and 16 months of follow-up, respectively.

Inverted papilloma: report of 89 cases.

PURPOSE: In this study, the surgical management of an inverted papilloma of the nose and paranasal sinuses performed at our institution is reviewed. METHODS: Eighty-nine patients diagnosed with an inverted papilloma and treated at the Ear, Nose, and Throat Department of Bologna University from January 1980 to January 2001 were retrospectively reviewed. Only 86 out of the 89 patients were retrospectively analyzed because 3 patients were treated for malignant tumors because of the association between inverted papilloma and invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Fifty patients were treated using traditional techniques such as lateral rhinotomy and midface degloving with medial maxillectomy (11 cases), a Caldwell-Luc procedure (21 cases), and transnasal ethmoidectomy or sphenoethmoidectomy (18 cases), whereas 36 patients were treated using an endonasal endoscopic approach for their primary tumor. RESULTS: The traditionally treated patients had a mean follow-up of 8 years (6-19 years), whereas the endoscopically treated patients had a mean follow-up of 54 months (24-97 months). The overall recurrence rate was 15%. There were 12 recurrences (24%) in the traditionally treated patients: 1 out of 11 patients (9%) had a recurrence after a medial maxillectomy by means of a lateral rhinotomy/midface degloving, whereas 11 patients out of 39 (28%) had a recurrence after more conservative procedures such as the transantral approach and transnasal ethmoidectomy or sphenoethmoidectomy. On the other hand, 1 recurrence was observed in the endoscopically treated patients (3%). CONCLUSIONS: Traditional techniques such as Caldwell-Luc and conservative transnasal ethmoidectomy or sphenoethmoidectomy are associated with a high rate of recurrence in the treatment of an inverted papilloma. On the other hand, the endoscopic endonasal approach is an effective treatment for an inverted papilloma in selected cases and, when performed by a skilled surgeon, can achieve a radical resection of the tumor because of excellent magnification and visualization, with results comparable to those of traditional techniques such as lateral rhinotomy with medial maxillectomy.

Endoscopic treatment of congenital choanal atresia.

This report outlines the effectiveness of the transnasal endoscopic approach for the treatment of congenital choanal atresia. Fourteen patients with age between 5 days and 15 years were treated using this approach by means of 0 and 30 degrees 4 or 2.7 mm telescopes: three cases were bilateral while 11 were unilateral. The time of stenting ranged from 3 to 6 days (mean 4 days) in the three newborn patients and between 1 and 2 weeks (mean 1 week) in the other nine patients. In the last two cases, stenting was not carried out. The overall follow-up period ranged from 2 to 64 months (mean 31 months). Only one restenosis was observed in this series 2 months after surgery. This restenosis was successfully treated by endoscopic revision. The authors believe that a correct repositioning of mucosal flaps after the resection of the atretic plate is of paramount importance in avoiding restenosis of the neochoana and in reducing the time and/or the use of stenting.

Endoscopic endonasal approach for the treatment of benign schwannoma of the sinonasal tract and pterygopalatine fossa.

Schwannomas are tumors that rarely involve the sinonasal tract or the pterygopalatinefossa. Three cases of benign schwannomas originating in the nasal cavity, the nasal-ethmoid, and the pterygopalatine fossa are reported. Surgical treatment is considered the treatment of choice to achieve long-term success. In this study, the effectiveness of the endoscopic endonasal approach is outlined for the diagnosis and treatment of these benign tumors.