Pituitary abscess: A descriptive analysis of a series of 19 patients: a multi-center experience

Abstract

Object: The study aims to investigate the intractable pituitary abscess (PA) diagnosis and assess the significance of combined intraoperative surgery with postoperative antibiotic treatment. Method: We retrospectively analyzed 19 pituitary abscess patients confirmed by histopathology, all consecutive patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) as pituitary adenomas after accepting comprehensive preoperative inspections, including routine tests, endocrine assay, and imaging examination. Result: Other sellar lesions were misdiagnosed prior to surgery. The favorable prognosis was largely due to surgical and active postoperative antibiotic therapy. Conclusion: Due to the lack of clarity in preoperative diagnosis, typical intraoperative findings and effective antibiotics are more indicative of the correct diagnosis than other tests. When it comes to therapy, optimal surgical and postoperative active antibiotic treatment benefits the PA dilemma.