Analysis of factors causing intracranial infection after endoscopic resection of pituitary tumors by transnasal-sphenoidal approach.

This study analyzed the factors that caused intracranial infection after endoscopic resection of the pituitary tumors by transnasal-sphenoidal approach. A retrospective analysis was performed for 326 patients with resection of pituitary tumor, and multiple Logistic regression analysis was conduced for the relevant factors. Results showed that a total of 32 patients exhibited postoperative infection (9.82%). The infection rates in patients with operation time of > 7 hours, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, diabetes mellitus, as well as those receiving corticosteroids, preoperative use of antibiotics and postoperative use of antibiotics for > 7 days were 15.56%, 15.22%, 13.75%, 9.94%, 10.00% and 10.47%, respectively. The longer operative time, the accompanying cerebrospinal fluid leakage and diabetes mellitus were the infection-related factors after endoscopic resection of pituitary tumors by transnasal-sphenoidal approach (P <0.05), while the preoperative use of corticosteroids and antibiotics and the postoperative use of antibiotics had no beneficial effects on the postoperative accompanying infection (P> 0.05). Thus, intracranial infection after endoscopic resection of pituitary tumors by transnasal-sphenoidal approach seems to be affected by many factors. Further survey and analysis with larger sample size are still needed