HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
Pituitary operation
Oranga repe tupu
This page outlines what happens during your operation and in the first two weeks after the operation. You'll get more information about your pituitary condition and any long-term treatment from your endocrinologist.
Before the operation
You may be admitted to hospital one day before your operation. The operation usually takes one to two hours.
As you'll have a general anaesthetic, you will not be allowed any food or drink from midnight the night before surgery. You'll also have antibiotics around the time of the operation.
During the operation
Your pituitary gland (and the tumour) sits in your pituitary fossa, a small hollow in the base of your skull, about 5 cm behind the top of your nose. The neurosurgeon reaches the gland and tumour either by making a narrow passage from a small cut behind your upper lip just above your top teeth, or through one nostril.
The neurosurgeon will make a small hole in the bone of your skull to open into the pituitary fossa. They will use an operating microscope to see the pituitary tumour and remove it. Once they have removed the tumour, they will seal the small hole with a small piece of tissue taken from the side of one of your thighs.
Your nose will be packed with gauze at the end of the operation. The stitches in the cut behind your upper lip will dissolve by themselves, but you'll need to have the stitches in your thigh cut removed one week later.
After the operation
Most people are up and about the following day and eating normally. Your nose-packs will be removed on about day three. Your mouth may be dry for a few days as you'll have to breathe through your mouth. It's also common to have a headache. You can take paracetamol for this.
Your top teeth may be slightly numb for a few weeks. You'll have discharge from your nose for some weeks.
Important
Do not blow your nose for three weeks after the operation. Make sure your mouth is open when you sneeze.
In hospital, nurses will record how much fluid you drink and urine you pass. Sometimes people pass a lot of urine and need an injection or nasal spray of a hormone to control this.
During your stay, you'll have frequent blood tests. Before discharge you'll get a note for your general practice team, instructions on any tablets you need and arrangements for follow-up.
Time in hospital
As long as all goes well you should be in hospital for about a week.
Time off work
You'll need one or two weeks off after going home.
As you get back to normal over this time, you'll be able to do most things you feel able to, including air travel, sex and exercise. Avoid any activities that involve large pressure changes like scuba diving and parachuting for three months. If the pituitary problem has affected your eyesight, it may mean you cannot drive.
What to look out for
Things do not often go wrong, but these things need action if they happen:
- If you get clear fluid (like water) dripping from your nose, it might mean a leak between your brain and outside. Contact the neurosurgeons about it within a day or two.
- If you have unexplained nausea (feeling sick), vomiting, faintness or feel really bad, it might mean the sodium level in your blood has dropped or you may need steroids. Your own general practice team may not be familiar with this situation. If you're worried, contact the Endocrinology Department using the contact details given to you when you were discharged after your operation.
- If you get a really bad headache for more than a day, you might have an infection in your head. This is very rare but needs treatment. Contact either the Neurosurgery or Endocrinology Department using the contact details given to you when you were discharged after your operation.
Written by the Departments of Endocrinology and Neurosurgery, Christchurch Hospital. Adapted by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed June 2023.
Sources
See also:
Review key: HIPTS-70672
