Headache in patients with non-functioning pituitary adenoma before and after transsphenoidal surgery – a prospective study

To study the long-term effect of transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) on headache in patients with non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) and identify factors predicting headache relief following TSS.

We evaluated headache in 101 consecutive patients with NFPA who underwent TSS from September 2015 to December 2021, preoperatively and 12-months post-surgery, by using the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire. Health-related quality of life (QoL) was assessed using the EQ-5D visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS).

Of 101 patients, 27 (27%) experienced disabling preoperative headache. Among these, the median total MIDAS score improved from 60 (interquartile range (IQR): 19–140) to 10 (IQR: 0–49) (P = 0.004). Additionally, headache frequency over a 90-day period decreased from 45 (IQR: 25–83) to 6 (IQR: 3–36) days (P = 0.002), and headache intensity decreased from 5 (IQR: 4–7) to 4 (IQR: 2–7) (P = 0.016) at 12-months post-surgery. At 12 months post-surgery, 18 (67%) of 27 patients with preoperatively disabling headache showed clinically relevant improvement of their headache, 4 (15%) showed deterioration, and 5 (19%) remained unchanged. In patients with clinically relevant improvement of their headache, the EQ-VAS score improved from 50 (IQR: 30 − 7) to 80 (IQR: 65–86) (P < 0.001). Of the 74 patients with no preoperative headache, 11 (15%) developed postoperative headache. We identified no clinical factors predicting postoperative headache relief.

The study supports that clinically significant and long-lasting improvements of disabling headache and QoL can be achieved with TSS in a substantial number of patients with NFPA.