What is transsphenoidal pituitary surgery?

Transsphenoidal pituitary surgery is a type of surgery that requires the surgeon to enter the nose and remove a tumor from the pituitary gland. During the surgery, the surgeon enters through the nose, removes the tumor, and repairs any damage to the skull base. This type of surgery is minimally invasive and is a relatively safe procedure. The surgeon will use an endoscope to see the tumor and remove it.

How is endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery performed?

Pituitary surgery is a complex procedure that is done to remove tumors, release pressure on the gland, and relieve symptoms of conditions such as hyperpituitarism and acromegaly. Transsphenoidal pituitary surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that is done by surgeons through the nasal passages to reach the pituitary gland.

In transsphenoidal pituitary surgery, the surgeon removes the tumor from the pituitary gland and replaces it with a piece of the patient’s own tissue. The surgery is done using a small opening in the skull that is accessed through the nose.

Who performs pituitary surgery
in Louisville, KY?

Pituitary surgery has been around for many years, but endoscopic pituitary surgery has only been around since the 1990s. Dr. Thomas S. Higgins, MD, MSPH in Louisville, KY with Kentuckiana ENT, a Division

of ENT Care Centers, performed a highly cited study comparing traditional open approaches to the pituitary gland and endoscopic pituitary approaches. Trained at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Thomas Higgins is considered an authority on endoscopic pituitary surgery worldwide and operates in conjunction with Vanderbilt University-trained neurosurgeon Dr. David Sun at Norton Brownsboro Hospital and the Norton Neuroscience Institute. If you want the best pituitary surgeons in Louisville, KY to provide the care you can trust, request an appointment with us. As a Louisville, KY pituitary surgeon, we have helped countless patients with their pituitary tumors.