Coexistence of intracranial aneurysm in 800 patients with surgically confirmed pituitary adenoma

Object The purpose of this study was to assess factors associated with intracranial aneurysm (IA) in patients with pituitary adenoma (PA). In addition, these patients were compared with a control group from the general patient population in terms of the age-matched prevalence rate and the pattern of distribution of IA. Methods The authors retrospectively reviewed 800 patients who received transsphenoidal surgery for PA and 3850 control patients from the general patient population who were evaluated for routine health care at the authors' institution between 2004 and 2010. All patients underwent MR imaging and MR angiography. Hormone assessment and pathological examination performed using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining were completed for patients with PA. Results Coexistence of IA in patients with PA was detected in 18 patients (2.3%). Multivariate analysis showed that age (p = 0.04) and cavernous sinus invasion (p < 0.001) were correlated with the increased incidence of IA, but hormone type, IHC staining, and sex were not associated. An age-matched comparison of the prevalence of IA showed an increased prevalence in patients with PA compared with the controls (p = 0.014), and when categorized according to age by decade, the 6th decade was significantly different (p = 0.039). However, the intracranial distribution pattern of IA did not demonstrate a significant difference. Conclusions Older age and the existence of a cavernous sinus invasion were correlated with increased incidence of IA in patients with PA. An age-matched comparison showed an increased incidence of IA in patients with PA than in the controls.