Pretreating cavernous sinus with hemostatic agent injection molding during endoscopic endonasal pituitary surgery: technical note.

OBJECTIVE

To clarify the technical pearls of cavernous sinus molding technique with hemostatic agent injection during endoscopic endonasal pituitary surgery.

METHODS

All patients pretreated with cavernous sinus hemostatic agent injection molding technique for hemostasis in endoscopic endonasal surgery for pituitary adenoma resection between November 2017 and June 2021 were included. A small incision was made in the cavernous sinus wall before intracavernous manipulation. The hemostatic agent was injected with gentle pressure. It spread along the venous channels and established partial molding of the cavernous sinus. Intraoperative bleeding, surgical field score, and complications were evaluated.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight patients with pituitary adenoma requiring cavernous sinus manipulation were pretreated with this technique. Technically, the tailored thin blunt metal tube with its 1 cm head end bended up 45° were the best instrument to accomplish injection. Multi-spot injections were preferred to control different compartments of the cavernous sinus, which both had a better effect in bleeding control and helped to reduce the influence of trigemino-cardiac reflex. Postoperative complications, including temporal lobe edema, hemorrhage, and exophthalmos were not observed.

CONCLUSION

Pretreating cavernous sinus with hemostatic agent injection molding technique during endoscopic endonasal pituitary surgery is a practical, effective and safe method for intracavernous bleeding control.