[Early postoperative measurement of growth hormone level for prognosis of surgical outcomes in acromegaly].

AIM: To investigate the value of 24 hours post-surgery measurement of growth hormone (GH) level for prognosis of surgical outcomes in acromegaly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study included 45 patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly. The degree of parasellar extension was measured on the preoperative sellar magnetic resonance imaging according to the Knosps classification. All patients underwent a transsphenoid adenomectomy performed by one neurosurgeon. Basal GH level was measured at 24 hours after surgery. The efficacy of transsphenoidal adenomectomy evaluated at 12 months after surgery. RESULTS: Acromegaly remission was achieved in 19 (42%) of 45 patients at 12 months after surgery. Pituitary microadenomas and the absence of paracellular invasion, corresponding to Knosp Grade 02, had low prognostic value for long-term remission due to low sensitivity (31.6%) and low specificity (38.5%), respectively. The highest prognostic value for acromegaly remission was showed for 24 hours post-surgery GH level with cut-off 1.30 ng/ml with sensitivity of 96.2% (95% confidence interval 81.199.8%) and specificity of 84.2% (95% confidence interval 62.494.4%). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated the possibility of using GH level at 24 after surgery as a predictor for acromegaly remission. GH level 1.30 ng/ml at 24 hours after surgery showed better predictive value for long-term remission compared with the presence of microadenomas and Knosp Grade 02. The absence of decrease of GH level on the first day after surgery may serve as a reason for more close monitoring of patients in the postoperative period. Further studies in a larger number of observers are required to confirm our findings.

[Evaluation of transsphenoidal adenomectomy outcomes in acromegaly using different remission criteria]. / Otsenka rezul'tatov transsfenoidal'noi adenoméktomii pri akromegalii s primeneniem razlichnykh kriteriev remissii.

For a long time, surgical removal of somatotropinoma using the transsphenoidal approach has been the first stage of treatment in most acromegaly patients. For the past decades, the efficacy criteria for surgical treatment of acromegaly have significantly changed, which requires appropriate correction. PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the results of transsphenoidal adenomectomy in acromegaly patients using various criteria for disease remission. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly who underwent transnasal transsphenoidal endoscopic adenomectomy performed by a single neurosurgeon. The surgical treatment outcomes were evaluated 6 months after operative intervention based on levels of IGF-1, OGTT, and GH. The obtained data were analyzed using different threshold values for the level of GH nadir during OGTT: criteria A <2.0 ng/ml, criteria B <1.0 ng/ml, and criteria C <0.4 ng/ml to assess acromegaly remission, along with matching of the IGF-1 level to the reference range for a given gender and age. RESULTS: The study included 70 patients (52 females and 18 males) with a mean age of 52.2±11.5 years (29 to 73 years). The baseline IGF-1 level exceeded the upper limit of the reference range 3.3±1.4 (1.1-7.3)-fold, on average. The baseline mean basal GH level was 34.2±41.7 (1.2-192.0) ng/ml. The mean pituitary adenoma size was 16.7±8.6 (4.3-46.0) mm; 18 (26%) out of 70 patients had pituitary microadenoma, and 52 (74%) patients had macroadenoma. Six months after surgery, acromegaly remission met criteria A in 47 (67%) patients, criteria B in 28 (40%) patients, and criteria C in 18 (26%) patients. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that evaluation of transsphenoidal adenomectomy outcomes in treatment of acromegaly patients depends on the criteria chosen for assessing remission. This feature should be considered when comparing outcomes of surgical treatment for acromegaly in different years. Probably, introduction of the 2010 criteria should be accompanied by revision of the previous remission indicators.

[The formation of the School of Military Neurosurgery of the Military Medical Academy].

The article is devoted to stages of formation of the school of military neurosurgery. Famous pioneers of this school were Vsevolod Galkin and Boris Samotokin. Their scientific works were based on personal experience of treatment for the battle scull and brain injuries during the Great Patriotic War. The main aim of the activity of the talented researcher Vitally Khilko was to develop microneurosurgery, neuroimmunology and fundamental researchers of cerebral blood flow pathology. Boris Gaidar and Valeriy Parfyonov reorganized the echelon neurosurgical care system in a relatively short time. This reorganization formed the basis of the modem principles of specialized neurosurgical care in armed conflicts. At the present time department of neurosurgery is the leading methodological and clinical center of military neurosurgery in Russia.

[Therapeutic management for iatrogenic injury of great arteries during transnasal surgery of tumors of the hypophysis].

Results of clinical examination and surgical treatment of 1022 patients with tumors of the hypophysis were analyzed. All the patients were operated upon by transsphenoidal endoscopic approach during the recent 10 years. Complications were observed in 76 (7.4%) patients. Most serious of them were: intraoperative mechanical injury of the right internal carotid artery and contact rupture of a large aneurysm of the internal carotid artery falsely diagnosed as craniopharyngioma. In both cases urgent intravascular interventions were necessary which resulted in relief of symptoms and recovery of the patients.

[Transsphenoidal surgery for large and giant pituitary adenomas by intraoperative video endomonitoring].

The paper analyzes the outcomes of surgical treatment of patients with pituitary adenomas on the basis of 614 performed transsphenoidal surgical appliances, of which there were 209 large and giant pituitary adenomas. The use of intraoperative video endomonitoring during these interventions could substantially reduced the number of complications, enhance the radicalism and selectivity of a surgical appliance. By using such advantages as endoscopy as powerful lighting, an endomicroscopic phenomenon, and a lateral view, at surgery we could precisely determine the borders of an adenoma, the site and sizes of non-removed tumors fragments. The lateral view of an endoscope permits removal of a tumor via the optimal access, prevention of traumatization of cerebral structures and the contents of cavernous sinuses. If there is intraoperative liquorrhea, the latter can be verified and eliminated. Thus, the accumulated experience allows the authors to recommend using intraoperative video endomonitoring during transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas.

[Video endoscopy in neurosurgery]. / Videoéndoskopiia v neirokhirurgii.

The authors present an analysis of their experiences with performing more than 330 video endoscopic operations on the autopsy material and in 172 patients. In 54 of these patients operations were performed for traumatic intracranial convex hematomas, in 21 for adenomas of the hypophysis, in 14--for arterial aneurysms, and 53 patients with discogenic radiculitis, spinal tumors, consequences of severe spinal traumas. In 25 patients the endoscopic videomonitoring was made during excision of the tumors, paratumorous cysts and abscesses of the brain, decompression of the optic nerve, plasty of the anterior cranial fossa fundus with closing the liquor fistulas. Intraoperative angioscopy in carotid endarterectomy was fulfilled in 5 patients. The video endoscopy was proved to result in less traumaticity of the radical surgery. It is a valuable and highly informative method giving optimum results in performing many microsurgical operations.

[The combined use of intraoperative video endoscopy and contact microvascular dopplerography in the surgery of cerebral aneurysms]. / Kompleksnoe ispol'zovanie intraoperatsionnoi videoéndoskopii i kontaktnoi mikrososudistoi dopplerografii v khirurgii anevrizm golovnogo mozga.

The article describes results of an anatomo-clinical investigation using video-endoscopy and contact microvascular dopplerography in surgery of cerebral aneurysms. The endoscopic anatomy of cisterns of the cerebral base was studied in 36 corpses of adult humans. More than 200 video-endoscopic operative interventions were performed on sectional material. Video-endoscopy in combination with contact microvascular dopplerography was conducted in the clinic on 20 patients with aneurysms of the brain. Main advantages of endoscopy used in combination with microvascular dopplerography during clipping the aneurysm are formulated. Complex using the two methods described gives less volume of the access and traumaticity of the intervention but not less radical effect. It is a valuable and highly informative method which optimizes performing the operation and has less amount of postoperative complications.