Carotid Artery Injury during Microscopic or Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgery

Abstract

Background Internal carotid artery (ICA) injury is a rare but catastrophic complication of transsphenoidal pituitary surgery, potentially resulting in a host of deficits due to the risks of ischemia, large-distribution infarct, or even death. Our objectives were to characterize the overall incidence in a large, longitudinal, single-surgeon series of microscopic transsphenoidal operations, compare this to the previously published literature, and identify potential risk factors.