What is the pituitary gland?
The pituitary gland is located in the saddle area at the base of the skull, deep in the ventral part of the lower thalamus, the midpoint of the line between the two ears behind the nose, and is divided into two parts: the anterior and posterior lobes. The pituitary gland is the most complex endocrine gland in the human body and is known as the top endocrine gland in the human body. The hormones it produces are not only related to the growth of bones and soft tissues in the body, but can also influence the activities of the endocrine glands and play an important role in the metabolism, growth, development and reproduction of the entire body.
What is a pituitary tumor?
Pituitary tumors are tumors that occur in the pituitary gland and the remnant epithelial cells of the craniopharyngeal canal. The majority of pituitary tumors are pituitary adenomas, which originate in the anterior pituitary cells and account for approximately 10-15% of the population. The majority of pituitary tumors are benign, but they can also be very harmful, often affecting growth, reproductive function, learning and working ability.
How long can I live with a pituitary tumor and what is the life expectancy?
Pituitary tumors can be very dangerous, producing a series of hormonal abnormalities, tumor compression of peripituitary tissues, pituitary stroke, and other hypopituitary manifestations. Some people ask how long they can live with pituitary tumor and how many years they can live. In fact, this concern is not unreasonable. This is because there are indeed some serious conditions that can be life-threatening for patients. An explosive pituitary stroke, for example, is fatal. Even patients with a slow course of the disease may have their life expectancy shortened to some extent because they suffer from various illnesses for a long time, both physically and mentally. Therefore, patients with pituitary tumors should be treated early.
Transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery for pituitary tumors?
At present, the treatment of pituitary tumors is still mainly surgical, and medication and radiation therapy can be used as auxiliary treatment. Compared with the traditional transcranial surgery or transnasal microscopic surgery, the transnasal butterfly endoscopic surgery currently performed in the clinic can completely remove the tumor under the open view of the endoscope and achieve good treatment results.