Study

Number

Of patients

Incidence of AP

Essential information

n

%

1)

560

51

9.1

AP is not correlated with sex, endocrine function or histological type of adenoma, but with age.

2)

37

In stable AP patients, surgical decompression should be performed as early as possible, as delays beyond 1 week may delay visual function recovery.

3)

799

39

4.9

The authors suggest surgical treatment in all AP cases to improve neurological and endocrine recovery.

4)

125

16

12.8

In AP, surgical treatment was associated with a better outcome than treatment with dexamethasone.

5)

982

35

3.2

Hypertension can be an important predisposing factor for BP. Trans-sphenoid surgery is safe and effective. It is indicated if there are associated abnormalities of visual acuity or field of vision.

6)

45

Patients with classical AP and none or only mild and non-progressive neuro-ophthalmic signs can be managed conservatively in the acute stage.

7)^a

721

27

3.7

Anterior pituitary function was more often conserved, normalized or even improved after trans-sphenoidal surgery compared to transcranial surgery in patients with non-functional pituitary adenomas.

8)

62

Emergency surgery is required in patients with decreased consciousness, impaired vision, or sudden blindness. Isolated cranial nerve palsies can be effectively managed conservatively.

9)^a

192

41

21

AP occurs more frequently than is usually assumed. In patients operated for a non-functional pituitary adenoma, survival is independent of the onset of AP.

10)

1540

24

1.6

AP is a rare event. Complete recovery is possible if the diagnosis is made quickly and proper management initiated on time. The surgical results are very satisfactory in most cases.

(11)

262

25

9.5

Classic AP is a rare event. The incidence of subclinical AP is higher than the standard AP.

Patients with classical AP have a higher mean age and most patients are male (68%). Visual improvement is better in sub-clinical AP than in conventional AP. In classical and subclinical AP, the anterior pituitary function is able to recover.