Pituitary surgery
The University of Florida Department of Neurosurgery Pituitary Tumor Center offers comprehensive care for all pituitary tumors. Under the direction of neurosurgeon Dr. Steven N. Roper, the Pituitary Tumor Center provides patients with comprehensive care for all pituitary tumors.
The Pituitary Tumor Center team treats patients with a full range of pituitary tumors. Treatment is provided for hormone-secreting tumors that cause hormonal disorders:
Faculty physicians also provide treatment for non-hormonal macro-adenoma tumors.
Depending on the location, size and type of tumor, patients may receive a number of different treatments. Medication is used to treat prolactin-secreting prolactinomas. Radiation therapy is sometimes used after surgery to reduce tumor size. In addition, radiosurgery may be a viable choice for certain patients.
The most frequent surgical option for pituitary tumors is transsphenoidal surgery. In the case of very large tumors that cannot be removed using this approach, it may be necessary to perform a craniotomy.
Dr. Roper and his team are experts in these surgeries, performing more than 70 operations annually. The most frequent technique is the endonasal procedure for transsphenoidal surgery. This approach, performed through the nose, reduces the length of the operation and does not require an incision on the face.
Treatment of a pituitary tumor may include drug and/or radiation therapy, surgery or a combination of these treatments. There are also some tumors that are best observed without treatment because of their very slow growth.