Washington Hospital Neurosurgeon is a Pioneer of Pituitary Surgery: Local Woman Shares Her Brain Tumor Story

A 38-year-old wife, mother, and software engineer knew something was wrong in January when she began having double vision and unusual headaches in the left rear of her head. After visits to an ophthalmologist and her primary physician did not uncover the problem, an MRI revealed a 2.5-centimeter pituitary tumor.

While the diagnosis was scary, she was pleased to learn her Milpitas home was a few minutes away from one of the world’s preeminent experts on pituitary tumors. UCSF neurosurgeon and Medical Director of Washington Hospital’s Taylor McAdam Bell Neuroscience Institute, Sandeep Kunwar, MD, removed her tumor in March. “I expected to be in the hospital for several days, but was discharged the next day with just a runny nose and minor sinus pain,” said the woman. After four weeks she began working again, walking for exercise, and doing most of the yoga poses she enjoys.

The pituitary gland lives in the center of the skull surrounded by the optic nerve, carotid arteries, and brainstem, so surgical access is challenging. Dr. Kunwar pioneered the transsphenoidal endonasal approach to pituitary tumors in the early 2000s. During this minimally invasive procedure, the tumor is accessed and dissected endoscopically through the nostril, with no incisions to the face or scalp. While post-op patients used to be hospitalized for a week, 85% now go home the next day. Dr. Kunwar has performed nearly 3,000 of these procedures. In fact, he does more in one week than most neurosurgeons do in a year, and data proves his track record of safe, successful procedures is among the best in the nation.