Optimizing Sellar Reconstruction After Pituitary Surgery with Free Mucosal Graft: Results from the First 50 Consecutive Patients.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak after endoscopic pituitary surgery ranges from 1.9% to 10% in different series. Vascularized flaps have reduced the incidence of leak; however, this carries nasal morbidity. This study presents a technique for sellar reconstruction with free mucosal graft from the nasal cavity floor including inferior meatus mucosa. This technique aims to standardize sellar reconstruction without the use of the nasoseptal flap and to keep the advantage of mucosal coverage of the defect in all cases.

METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients who had endoscopic surgery for pituitary tumors and reconstruction with nasal cavity floor free mucosal graft were retrospectively reviewed. There were a total of 50 patients with postoperative follow-up from 3 to 16 months. Collagen dural graft was used inlay and free mucosal graft overlay to cover the sellar defect. No fat grafts or lumbar drains were used. A Sinonasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) was performed before, 1 and 3 months after surgery.

RESULTS: There were 40% detected intraoperative leaks and no postoperative leaks. Nasal endoscopy performed at 1 month follow-up showed complete healing of the graft to the skull base and near total or complete mucosalization of the donor site. No significant difference was found in the SNOT-22 comparing the total preoperative and 1-month scores.

CONCLUSIONS: The nasal cavity floor free mucosal graft is an easy and safe technique, with minimal nasal morbidity. There were no postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leaks, despite aggressive tumor resection. No lumbar drains or fat graft were used. The harvest of mucosal graft does not worsen the quality of life measured with the SNOT-22 test.