Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37389775›Full record

ArticlePituitary2023

Characteristics of inflammatory and infectious diseases of the pituitary gland in patients undergoing transsphenoidal surgery.

Paul Vincent Naser, Penelope Papadopoulou, Jan Teuber, Stefan Kopf, Jessica Jesser, Andreas W Unterberg, Christopher Beynon

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Pituitary, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Mimickers of pituitary tumors.Neuro-oncology advances · 2025
    Article
  3. An unusual case of primary pituitary abscess due to Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Paul Vincent NaserDepartment of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany. paul.naser@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
Penelope PapadopoulouDepartment of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
Jan TeuberDepartment of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
Stefan KopfDepartment of Endocrinology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
Jessica JesserDepartment of Neuroradiology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
Andreas W UnterbergDepartment of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
Christopher BeynonDepartment of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
Heidelberg University · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeInflammatory and infectious diseases of the pituitary gland (IIPD) are rare lesions often misdiagnosed preoperatively. Immediate surgery is indicated especially in cases of neurological impairment. However, (chronic) inflammatory processes can mimic other pituitary tumors, such as adenomas, and data on the preoperative diagnostic criteria for IIPD are sparse.

methodsWe retrospectively reviewed medical records of 1317 patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery at our institution between March 2003 and January 2023. A total of 26 cases of histologically confirmed IIPD were identified. Patient records, laboratory parameters, and postoperative course were analyzed and compared with an age, sex, and tumor volume-matched control group of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas.

resultsPathology confirmed septic infection in ten cases, most commonly caused by bacteria (3/10) and fungi (2/10). In the aseptic group, lymphocytic hypophysitis (8/26) and granulomatous inflammation (3/26) were most frequently observed. Patients with IIPD commonly presented with endocrine and/or neurological dysfunction. No surgical mortality occurred. Preoperative radiographic findings (cystic/solid tumor mass, contrast enhancement) did not significantly differ between IIPD and adenomas. At follow-up, 13 patients required permanent hormone substitution.

conclusionIn conclusion, correct preoperative diagnosis of IIPD remains challenging, as neither radiographic findings nor preoperative laboratory workup unequivocally identify these lesions. Surgical treatment facilitates decompression of supra- and parasellar structures. Furthermore, this low-morbidity procedure enables the identification of pathogens or inflammatory diseases requiring targeted medical treatment, which is crucial for these patients. Establishing a correct diagnosis through surgery and histopathological confirmation thus remains of utmost importance.

Indexed as

AdenomaCommunicable DiseasesHypopituitarismPituitary NeoplasmsHumansPituitary GlandRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeLymphocytic hypophysitisPituitary abscessPituitary inflammationPituitary surgeryTranssphenoidal surgery

Identifiers

PMID37389775
PMCPMC10397134
OpenAlexW4382632543

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.