Efficacy of Gamma Knife radiosurgery in the management of pituitary prolactinoma

BACKGROUND: Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKR) has been widely used in the management of a variety of intracranial tumors, including pituitary adenomas. Pituitary prolactinoma (Prs) is one of the most common types of these adenomas. METHODS: This prospective study included 50 patients with pituitary Prs over a period from June 2017 to June 2018 at the Neurosciences Hospital, Baghdad/Iraq. The GKR procedure was performed using the Leksell Gamma Knife(®) Perfexion™, 192 beams of Cobalt 60 radiation were delivered through the intact skull to the pituitary Prs. RESULTS: There is a significant female predominance 32 (72%). The results after 6 months of GKR showed significant improvement regarding the size of adenoma, prolactin hormone level, contrast enhancement on MRI, and medical treatment. CONCLUSION: The study showed that the GKR is a safe and effective modality of treatment in the management of pituitary Prs.