What should I look for after pituitary tumor surgery?

  Pituitary adenoma (PA) is a group of tumors originating from the cells of the anterior and posterior pituitary lobes and the remnants of the craniopharyngeal epithelium, and is the most common occupying lesion of the saddle area. The pituitary gland is located in the middle of the brain and behind the eyes. The pituitary gland is the general headquarters of endocrine function in the human body and controls the endocrine function of the human body, including blood sugar, electrolytes, human height, male sexual characteristics such as beard and female menstruation. Pituitary tumors often function as endocrine glands, thus affecting the body’s metabolism and causing a variety of endocrine dysfunctions resulting in a variety of clinical symptoms, such as acromegaly, gigantism, amenorrhea, lactation, infertility, impotence, headaches, and vision loss.  Current treatment options for pituitary tumors include surgical removal of the tumor, medication, and radiation therapy.  We need to know a few points about pituitary tumor treatment: 1. No treatment can achieve its “complete cure”; 2. Surgical treatment, about 90% of patients can be surgically removed by the nasopalatine sinus approach. It mainly includes microscopic transsphenoidal and endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery, and the effect of minimally invasive treatment of pituitary tumor by applying microscope or neuroendoscope in Neurosurgery Ward 4 has reached the advanced level in China. Preoperative magnetic resonance. The treatment of pituitary tumor is a long-term systematic process, and surgery is only one part of the treatment process. After surgery, long-term monitoring and follow-up must be carried out, and endocrine laboratory tests and MRI examinations should be done regularly to decide the follow-up treatment or continue to be observed according to the results.  Patients discharged from the hospital after pituitary tumor need to pay attention to the following points: 1. Postoperative pituitary hypofunction: Pituitary hormones and related tests are performed to assess the function of pituitary gland and each target gland. For patients with pituitary dysfunction give appropriate hormone replacement therapy.  2.Patients with postoperative uremia: While taking long-term medications such as mydriasis, patients should learn to record the urine volume correctly, and when the thirst is severe, do not drink a lot of plain water, but use light saline or potassium-rich juice (such as orange juice) to relieve thirst symptoms on the one hand; on the other hand, it can replenish electrolytes to prevent hyponatremia and hypokalemia.  3.Post-operative hyponatremia: If patients have gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and poor appetite, or in severe cases, weakness, agitation, apathy, blurred consciousness, disorientation, convulsions and coma, they should not be mistaken for gastrointestinal diseases. Review electrolytes immediately for early treatment.  4, postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage: once the clear liquid from the nasal cavity, consider the possibility of cerebrospinal fluid leakage, should be promptly admitted to the hospital, during this period the patient should head to the healthy side, the head of the bed elevated 1 5 ° ~ 30 °, to avoid factors that lead to increased intracranial pressure, such as forceful coughing, forceful sneezing, pinching nose, forceful defecation, etc. and aggravate the cerebrospinal fluid leakage.  5. Postoperative blood glucose abnormalities: For growth hormone pituitary tumors, because growth hormone has certain effects on blood glucose metabolism, it can cause blood glucose to rise or fall. Therefore, patients should learn to check blood glucose changes and control blood glucose with diabetic diet while applying hypoglycemic drugs recommended by doctors.  6.Visual acuity and visual field examination: Regularly monitor visual acuity and visual field, if it decreases, there may be tumor recurrence or stroke, please seek medical attention as soon as possible.  7.Post-operative MRI follow-up: 1 review in 3 months after surgery, and thereafter decide the interval of imaging review and the period of observation according to the clinical situation.