Endoscopic Transnasal Transsphenoidal Pituitary Surgery—Comparison with the Traditional Sublabial Transseptal Approach

The traditional transseptal, transsphenoidal hypophysectomy was introduced by Halstead [1] and then popularized and perfected by Cushing [2]. With the introduction of endoscopic sinus surgical instruments and techniques, the endoscopic transsphenoidal approach to the pituitary gland has been gaining increasing popularity [3–17]. Using rigid endoscopic techniques, with or without intraoperative computer-assisted navigation systems, the sphenoid sinus and pituitary gland may be approached transseptally, transethmoidally, or directly transnasally.