Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Functioning Pituitary Microadenoma

Abstract

Transsphenoidal microsurgery remains the treatment of choice for pituitary microadenomas One hundred and six patients were treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for pituitary adenomas, and of these, 23 patients (1 male, 22 female) had microadenomas. Twenty-two of these patients were followed up and endocrinological tests were available for 15 of these 22. Thirteen of these 15 had prolactinomas, while the remaining 2 had acromegaly. The follow-up period was from 3 to 26 months (median 12 months). The mean age was 33.6 years (range 21 to 60 years). The mean maximum tumor dose was 35.7 Gy and the mean margin dose was 22 Gy. Serum prolactin (PRL) was normalized in three patients, decreased in eight and unchanged in two. The growth hormone (GH) secretion in the acromegalic patients has remained unchanged through the follow-up period. Thus, GKRS is a valuable adjuvant to transsphenoidal microsurgery for patients with pituitary microadenomas.