Table 3.

Complications and endocrine consequences of pituitary surgery Data are expressed as N (%).

	All PatientsN = 63	Endoscopic Endonasal ApproachN=60	Microscopic Transcranial ApproachN=17
Surgical Complication
Vascular injury  Carotid artery injury  Anterior choroidal artery injury  Perforating artery	4 (6%) 0 0 4 (6%)	0	4 (24%) 0 0 4 (24%)
Hematoma  Asymptomatic  Symptomatic requiring surgery	6 (9%) 4 (6%) 2 (3%)	2 (4%) 1 (2%) 1 (2%)	4 (24%) 3 (18%) 1 (6%)
Visual deterioration  Monocular  Binocular	3 (5%)	0	3 (17%) 1 (6%) 2 (11%)
Motor deterioration  Transient  Persistent	5 (8%) 3 (5%) 2 (3%)	0	5 (29%) 3 (17%) 2 (12%)
Cognitive deterioration  Transient  Persistent	3 (5%) 1 (2%) 2 (3%)	0	3 (17%) 1 (6%) 2 (11%)
Cranial nerve palsy	3 (5%)	0	3 (18%)
Postoperative CSF leakage requiring plasty	4 (6%)	4 (7%)	0
Meningitis/Infection	3 (5%)	1 (2%)	2 (11%)
Epistaxis, rhinitis, sinusitis	1 (2%)	1 (2%)	0
Total complications Severe complications*	13 (21%) 7 (11%)	6 (10%) 2 (3%)	7 (41%) 5 (29%)
Endocrine consequences of pituitary surgery
Anterior pituitary insufficiency  One axis  Two axes  Panhypopituitarism	8 (13%) 6 (9%) 1 (2%) 1 (2%)
Diabetes insipidus Transient Persistent	15 (24%) 8 (13%)

Qualitative variables are expressed in absolute numbers (proportion).

*Severe complications included postoperative persistent neurological deficits (related to postoperative ischemia, traumatic surgical dissection or hematoma), hematomas requiring a second surgery, meningitis and surgical site infections.

In the bold values, the data are expressed in absolute numbers (N).