Correlation between intrasellar pressure, pituitary adenoma invasiveness, pituitary dysfunction, and apoplexy.

BACKGROUND

Few studies have reported the association between intrasellar pressure (ISP) and tumor invasiveness, hypopituitarism, or pituitary apoplexy in patients with pituitary adenomas. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between intraoperatively measured ISP and pituitary adenoma invasiveness, as well as to assess whether elevated ISP is associated with hypopituitarism and pituitary apoplexy.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 84 patients with newly diagnosed pituitary adenomas who underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University between January 2024 and March 2025. ISP was measured intraoperatively. Tumor invasiveness was assessed using the Hardy-Wilson and Knosp grading systems on preoperative MRI. Tumor volume was calculated with 3D-Slicer software. Spearman's correlation analysis was used to evaluate associations between ISP, tumor volume, invasiveness, hypopituitarism, and pituitary apoplexy.

RESULTS

The mean intraoperative ISP was 30.91 ± 7.03 mmHg. Patients with Hardy-Wilson grade III-IV or Knosp grade 3-4 tumors had significantly higher ISP than those with lower grades. Tumor volume correlated positively with ISP, with tumor height showing the strongest correlation. Elevated ISP leads to a higher preoperative incidence of adrenal insufficiency, an increased risk of preoperative hypothyroidism, and a greater likelihood of preoperative hyperprolactinemia in patients with pituitary adenomas, but it shows no clear association with pituitary apoplexy. No significant correlation was observed between ISP and pituitary apoplexy or postoperative hypopituitarism at 12 weeks.

CONCLUSION

ISP is strongly associated with tumor invasiveness and tumor volume in pituitary adenomas. Elevated ISP increases the risk of preoperative adrenal insufficiency, hypothyroidism, and hyperprolactinemia, but does not appear to affect pituitary apoplexy or postoperative hypopituitarism at 12 weeks.