Medicine:Transsphenoidal surgery

From HandWiki

Transsphenoidal surgery is a type of surgery in which an endoscope or surgical instruments are inserted into part of the brain by going through the nose and the sphenoid bone (a butterfly-shaped bone forming the anterior inferior portion of the brain case) into the sphenoidal sinus cavity. Transsphenoidal surgery is used to remove tumors of the pituitary gland. (Such tumours, although within the skull, are outside the brain itself).

History

The transsphenoidal approach was first attempted by Hermann Schloffer in 1907.[1] Use of the procedure grew in the 1950s and 60s with the introduction of intraoperative fluoroscopy and operating microscope.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "The learning curve in minimally invasive pituitary surgery". Am J Rhinol 18 (4): 259–63. 2004. doi:10.1177/194589240401800412. PMID 15490574. 

External links

 This article incorporates public domain material from the U.S. National Cancer Institute document "Dictionary of Cancer Terms".