Conditioned recurrence-free survival following gross-total resection of nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma: a single-surgeon, single-center retrospective study.

Objective: The authors sought to determine the time to recurrence after achieving gross-total resection of nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) in adult patients. The authors also sought to determine the rate of recurrence after increasing years of recurrence-free imaging.

Methods: The authors performed a retrospective chart review of all adult patients who underwent gross-total resection of NFPA between September 2004 and January 2018 by the senior surgeon. The primary outcome of the study was time to recurrence, defined by imaging and/or clinical criteria.

Results: The median follow-up time of the 148 patients who met the inclusion criteria was 91 months; 12 of these patients (8.1%) had recurrence. The median time to recurrence was 80 months. The range of time for these recurrences was 36-156 months. The probabilities of remaining recurrence free at 180 months after gross-total resection of NFPA and 12, 36, 60, 84, or 120 months of recurrence-free imaging were 82%, 84%, 86%, 88%, and 93%, respectively. The year-over-year odds of a recurrence increased linearly by 1.07%. There was no difference in recurrence-free imaging when patients were stratified by Knosp grade or tumor subtype. None of the patients with recurrence underwent repeat resection. When identified, patients were managed either conservatively or with radiosurgery.

Conclusions: Increased intervals of recurrence-free imaging were not associated with a decrease in risk of recurrence, which suggests that patients require life-long periodic imaging. If followed with periodic imaging, recurrence can be discovered before clinically symptomatic and successfully treated without repeat surgery.