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Surgery

Risks of pituitary surgery in the elderly

Surgical resection of pituitary tumors is the treatment of choice for patients with hormone-secreting tumors or those that impair vision and other neurological functions. A recent study by Grossman et al., however, found transsphenoidal surgery to be associated with increased mortality and morbidities in elderly patients, which suggests the need for careful individualized decision-making in this vulnerable population.

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Correspondence to Jeffrey N. Bruce.

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Freda, P., Bruce, J. Risks of pituitary surgery in the elderly. Nat Rev Endocrinol 6, 606–608 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2010.170

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