Pituitary stalk biopsy – A systematic review of the safety and efficacy of stalk lesion biopsy
Authors' conclusion
Pituitary stalk biopsy is a high yield and safe diagnostic test, with low periprocedural morbidity. The rate of new endocrinopathy compares favourably to the natural history of progressive stalk disease.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing pituitary stalk (infundibulum) lesion biopsy406 biopsies
- Participants
- 832 patients13 studies
- Outcome
- Diagnostic yield and complication rates after stalk biopsy
Methodological detailsPRISMA, ROBINS-V2 bias assessment
- PRISMA
- ROBINS-V2 bias assessment
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Diagnostic yield
Diagnostic yield
95.8%
Further pooled results
Baseline and procedure characteristics
- Mean time from diagnosis to biopsy
- 11 months
- Preoperative visual symptoms
- 29.1%
- Preoperative AVP-D (diabetes insipidus)
- 71.0%
- Preoperative hypopituitarism
- 66.3%
- Endoscopic transsphenoidal approach
- 70.9%
Safety
Complications · postoperative
- CSF leak
- 1.6%
- Visual worsening
- 1.6%
- New cranial nerve palsy
- 1.2%
- New permanent AVP-D
- 9.0%
- New hypopituitarism
- 15.7%
- Meningitis
- 2.7%
Original publication
Pituitary stalk biopsy – A systematic review of the safety and efficacy of stalk lesion biopsy. Pituitary. Published 29 April 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →