Craig Baumgartner

Bio: Craig Baumgartner is an academic researcher from NorthShore University HealthSystem. The author has contributed to research in topics: Transsphenoidal surgery. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 2 publications receiving 869 citations.

Complications of Transsphenoidal Surgery: Results of a National Survey, Review of the Literature, and Personal Experience

Abstract: OBJECTIVE:The primary objectives of this report were, first, to determine the number and incidence of complications of transsphenoidal surgery performed by a cross-section of neurosurgeons in the United States and, second, to ascertain the influence of the surgeon's experience with the procedure on

Complications of Transsphenoidal Surgery: Results of a National Survey, Review of the Literature, and Personal Experience

Abstract: OBJECTIVE:The primary objectives of this report were, first, to determine the number and incidence of complications of transsphenoidal surgery performed by a cross-section of neurosurgeons in the United States and, second, to ascertain the influence of the surgeon's experience with the procedure on

Systemic complications of acromegaly: epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management.

Abstract: This review focuses on the systemic complications of acromegaly. Mortality in this disease is increased mostly because of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, although currently neoplastic complications have been questioned as a relevant cause of increased risk of death. Biventricular hypertrophy, occurring independently of hypertension and metabolic complications, is the most frequent cardiac complication. Diastolic and systolic dysfunction develops along with disease duration; and other cardiac disorders, such as arrhythmias, valve disease, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and endothelial dysfunction, are also common in acromegaly. Control of acromegaly by surgery or pharmacotherapy, especially somatostatin analogs, improves cardiovascular morbidity. Respiratory disorders, sleep apnea, and ventilatory dysfunction are also important contributors in increasing mortality and are advantageously benefitted by controlling GH and IGF-I hypersecretion. An increased risk of colonic polyps, which more frequently recur in patients not controlled after treatment, has been reported by several independent investigations, although malignancies in other organs have also been described, but less convincingly than at the gastrointestinal level. Finally, the most important cause of morbidity and functional disability of the disease is arthropathy, which can be reversed at an initial stage, but not if the disease is left untreated for several years.

Criteria for cure of acromegaly: a consensus statement.

Abstract: In February 1999, a workshop was held in Cortina, Italy to develop a consensus defining the criteria for cure of acromegaly. The workshop was sponsored by the University of Brescia and hosted by the Italian Society of Endocrinology. Invited international participants included endocrinologists, neurosurgeons, and radiotherapists skilled in the management of acromegaly. This statement summarizes the consensus achieved in these discussions.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Pituitary Adenomas: A Review

Abstract: Importance Pituitary adenomas may hypersecrete hormones or cause mass effects. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are important. Observations Prevalence of pituitary adenomas ranges from 1 in 865 adults to 1 in 2688 adults. Approximately 50% are microadenomas ( Conclusions and Relevance Patients with pituitary adenomas should be identified at an early stage so that effective treatment can be implemented. For prolactinomas, initial therapy is generally dopamine agonists. For all other pituitary adenomas, initial therapy is generally transsphenoidal surgery with medical therapy being reserved for those not cured by surgery.

Surgical complications associated with the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach for pituitary adenomas

Abstract: Object. To assess postoperative complications related to the surgical procedure, a retrospective analysis was conducted in a series of 146 consecutively treated patients who underwent an endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach to the sellar region for resection of pituitary adenomas between January 1997 and July 2001. Methods. Complications were divided into groups (nasofacial, sphenoid sinus, sella turcica, supra or parasellar, and endocrine complications) according to the anatomical structures and the systems involved. Overall, a decreased incidence of complications has been observed, compared with large historical series of the traditional microsurgical transsphenoidal approach, likely because of the overview inside the anatomy facilitated by the endoscope, and the decreased surgical trauma. Conclusions. Transsphenoidal surgery, either microscopic or endoscopic, is a safe procedure in experienced hands, but serious complications still occur and must be reduced as much as possible. Additional impr...

Endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery: analysis of complications in the authors' initial 800 patients

Abstract: Object The development of endoscopic endonasal approaches, albeit in the early stages, represents part of the continuous evolution of skull base surgery. During this early period, it is important to determine the safety of these approaches by analyzing surgical complications to identify and eliminate their causes. Methods The authors reviewed all perioperative complications associated with endoscopic endonasal skull base surgeries performed between July 1998 and June 2007 at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Results This study includes the data for the authors' first 800 patients, comprising 399 male (49.9%) and 401 female (50.1%) patients with a mean age of 49.21 years (range 3–96 years). Pituitary adenomas (39.1%) and meningiomas (11.8%) were the 2 most common pathologies. A postoperative CSF leak represented the most common complication, occurring in 15.9% of the patients. All patients with a postoperative CSF leak were successfully treated with a lumbar drain and/or another endoscopic appro...