Transsphenoidal surgery

Transsphenoidal surgery is a type of surgery in which an endoscope and/or surgical instruments are inserted into part of the brain by going through the nose and the sphenoid bone (a butterfly-shaped bone at the base of the skull) 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).

See also

• Pituitary adenoma
• Endoscopic endonasal surgery, particularly Surgical approaches to the anterior skull base

External links

• Transsphenoidal surgery entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms.
• Endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary adenoma resection (IPG32) – National Institute for Clinical Excellence, United Kingdom.

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