Endoscopic modified transseptal bi-nostril approach for pituitary
surgery does not impact olfaction: A retrospective study
Abstract
Objectives: To preserve olfactory function in each nostril following
pituitary surgery is important in the long term. However, no reports
evaluating olfactory outcomes in individual nasal cavities following
endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach (EETSA) for pituitary
surgery have been published. Here, we used an endoscopic modified
transseptal bi-nostril approach for pituitary surgery, with possible
olfaction preservation without turbinate resection, and evaluated
olfactory outcomes in both left and right nostrils. Design: A
single-centre, retrospective study Setting and participants: Overall, 41
patients who underwent endoscopic modified transseptal pituitary surgery
with an olfactory and turbinate preservation approach at our hospital
between April 2018 and December 2019 were included in this study. Main
outcome measures: To completely protect the bilateral turbinates and
olfactory epithelium, this procedure provides access to the sphenoid
sinus by a transseptal approach via the left nasal cavity and by the
olfactory cleft approach via the right nasal cavity without resecting
any turbinate. A jet stream olfactometer (JSO) was used to assess the
mean recognitive threshold of the left, right, and bilateral nasal
passages before and after surgery. Results: The postoperative JSO test
values of the right, left, and bilateral nasal cavities were markedly
improved (p<0.01 for all) compared with the preoperative
values, but there was no difference in the values between the right and
left nasal cavities (p=0.85). No recurrence or olfactory dysfunction was
observed in any patient during the study period. Conclusion: Our
modified EETSA may be one method to approach preserving every turbinate
and olfaction.