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About this Treatment: Surgery for Pituitary Tumors
Approaches to Pituitary Tumor Surgery
Stanford doctors use various surgical approaches for safe and effective operations. The approach and success of surgery depend on the location and size of the tumor.
The 2 main surgical techniques to treat pituitary tumors are:
- Endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal surgery (TSS): Your surgeon accesses the tumor through an incision inside one of the nostrils. This approach leaves no visible scar, speeds recovery, and poses fewer lingering side effects. Your surgeon guides a tiny narrow tube called an endoscope through the incision. The endoscope is equipped with a camera that offers a magnified view of the tumor and structures around it. The camera relays images to a large television screen in the operating room to guide your surgeon’s progress. Special, miniaturized surgical instruments are placed on the endoscope to help separate the tumor from surrounding tissues and remove it.
- Transcranial surgery: If the tumor’s location and size make surgery more complicated, your doctor may recommend transcranial surgery. During this operation, surgeons make an incision in the scalp, then remove a section of bone to reach the tumor. They take out the tumor, or as much as possible, while carefully minimizing the impact on healthy surrounding tissue. They finish by replacing the section of bone and closing the incision.
Our Clinics
We take a multispecialty approach to treating cancerous and noncancerous tumors, neurologic conditions, and other conditions using CyberKnife radiation therapy. We can treat people very quickly – within about two days.
Our world-renowned experts at the leading pituitary program on the West Coast perform pituitary tumor surgery with precision. Our team of specialists from multiple fields of medicine will combine their varied expertise to surround you with the care you need.
![CyberKnife Program at the Neuroscience Health Center](/content/shc/en-tools/locations/palo-alto-213-quarry/_jcr_content/mapImage1.transform/original/image.jpg)
![Stanford Cancer Center Palo Alto](/content/shc/en-tools/locations/stanford-875-blake-wilbur/_jcr_content/mapImage1.transform/original/image.jpg)
Our world-renowned experts at the leading pituitary program on the West Coast perform pituitary tumor surgery with precision. Our team of specialists from multiple fields of medicine will combine their varied expertise to surround you with the care you need.