Surgical treatment and clinical outcome of GH-secreting adenomas in elderly patients

Patients older than 65 years represent 3-5% of all acromegalic patients. The old age of the patients and the higher incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic complications related to acromegaly could increase the intra- and peri-operative risk, so that medical treatment is usually recommended as a therapy of choice. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the impact of transsphenoidal surgery in a series of 22 elderly patients with active acromegaly,with special regard to anaesthesiological risk, peri-operative complications, and clinical outcome. Despite an increased anesthesiological risk being present in 16/22 patients, no complication occurred during surgery. Similarly, no post-operative mortality or major complications were observed. Biochemical cure, defined at 6 months by glucose-suppressed plasma GH levels below 1 ng/ml and normal age-corrected IGF-I value levels, was achieved in 68% of patients and no recurrence of disease was observed in the subsequent follow-up (mean 5.2 +/- 2.1 years). A significant cardiovascular improvement was observed in cured patients, with a decrease of left ventricular mass index (91.3 +/- 20.1 vs 115.9 +/- 15.0 g/m(2); P < 0.005), as measured by echocardiography, as well as a slight but significant decrease of systolic and diastolic blood pressure values (130.0 +/- 12.1 mmHg vs 137.6 +/- 13.5 mmHg P < 0.05; and 84.2 +/- 6.4 mmHg vs 88.8 +/- 7.5 mmHg P < 0.05, respectively). A significant post-operative improvement of glucose tolerance was also observed in this group. We conclude that transsphenoidal surgery, if well planned and carefully performed, is safe and able to induce a significant cardiovascular and metabolic improvement even in elderly acromegalic patients.