Prophylactic Oral Antibiotics on Sinonasal Outcomes Following Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgery for Pituitary Lesions (POET)

Primary Outcome Measures:

• Change in quality of life from baseline - Anterior Skull Base Nasal Inventory 12 (ASK Nasal-12) [ Time Frame: 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks post-surgery ]
  Completed by subject in clinic or by phone interview. Assesses urge to blow nose; post-nasal discharge; thick nasal discharge; headaches; nose makes whistling sound; nasal crusting; trouble breathing through nose during day; trouble breathing through nose during night; not breathing equally in both nostrils; sense of smell; sense of taste; and, overall functioning of nose.Rating choices include no problem 0; very minor problem 1; minor problem 2; moderate problem 3; moderately severe problem 4; and, severe problem 5. Subject also selects the 5 symptoms/items listed that impact life the most.
  
  
• Change in quality of life from baseline - Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) [ Time Frame: 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks post-surgery ]
  Completed by subject in clinic or by phone interview. Assesses need to blow nose; nasal blockage; sneezing; runny nose; cough; post-nasal discharge; thick nasal discharge; ear fullness; dizziness; ear pain; facial pain/pressure; decreased sense of smell/taste; difficulty falling asleep; waking up at night; lack of a good night's sleep; wake up tired; fatigue; reduced productivity; reduced concentration; frustrated/restless/irritable; sad; and, embarrassed. Rating choices include no problem 0; very mild problem 1; mild or slight problem 2; moderate problem 3; severe problem 4; problem as bad as it can be 5. Subject also selects the 5 symptoms/items listed that impact life the most.
  
  

Secondary Outcome Measures:

• Incidence of Acute Bacterial Sinusitis [ Time Frame: 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks post-surgery ]
  Incidence includes 3 or more of: i. Nasal congestion by patient report or physical exam, ii. Purulent nasal discharge by patient report or physical exam, iii. Facial pressure or pain or headache by patient report, iv. Antibiotics prescribed by a provider for the purpose of treating sinusitis.
  
  
• Changes in endoscopic appearances using Postoperative Debridement Scoring Sheet (modified Lund-Kennedy score) [ Time Frame: 1-2 and 3-4 weeks post-surgery ]
  Postoperative nasal endoscopy findings graded by surgeon. Grading includes Polyps = none 0; middle meatus 1; beyond middle meatus 2. Discharge = none 0; clear and thin 1; thick and purulent 2. Edema = none 0; mild 1; moderate 2; severe 3. Scarring = none 0; mild 1; moderate 2; severe 3. Crusting = none 0; mild 1; moderate 2; severe 3.
  
  
• Sinusitis and antibiotic resistance as evidenced by nasal congestion [ Time Frame: 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks post-surgery ]
  Cultures and sensitivities when nasal congestion noted by patient report or physical exam.
  
  
• Sinusitis and antibiotic resistance as evidenced by purulent discharge [ Time Frame: 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks post-surgery ]
  Cultures and sensitivities when purulent nasal discharge noted by patient report or physical exam.
  
  
• Sinusitis and antibiotic resistance as evidenced by pressure [ Time Frame: 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks post-surgery ]
  Cultures and sensitivities when facial pressure noted by patient report.
  
  
• Sinusitis and antibiotic resistance as evidenced by pain [ Time Frame: 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks post-surgery ]
  Cultures and sensitivities when facial pain noted by patient report.
  
  
• Sinusitis and antibiotic resistance as evidenced headache [ Time Frame: 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks post-surgery ]
  Cultures and sensitivities when headache noted by patient report.
  
  

Transsphenoidal surgery is the standard of care for most symptomatic pituitary adenomas. Since transsphenoidal surgery exploits the nasal passage to reach the sella turcica and pituitary gland, the technique causes disruption of sinonasal function and temporarily impacts sinonasal quality of life. Disrupted sinonasal function is a primary source of postoperative morbidity following transsphenoidal surgery. Common sinonasal complications include sinusitis, synechiae formation, nasal obstruction and crusting. The development of postoperative sinusitis is specifically associated with decreased sinonasal function after surgery. Because the nasal cavity is a contaminated surgical field, practitioners routinely prescribe a course of oral postoperative antibiotics for 7-14 days (in addition to standard prophylactic perioperative intravenous antibiotics) with the intention of improving nasal functional outcomes. To date, no studies have examined whether the administration of oral antibiotics following transsphenoidal surgery improves sinonasal healing. This question has been studied in a closely-related field, functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). A meta-analysis of clinical trial data obtained in FESS indicated that current literature does not support the use of oral antibiotics to reduce infection, improve symptoms scores, or improve endoscopic findings. Furthermore, there is the potential for antibiotic-related adverse events including the emergence of bacterial resistance, Clostridium difficile infection, and allergic reactions to the medication. Despite the lack of supporting evidence in FESS, prophylactic antibiotic use for improving sinonasal healing is still common in pituitary surgery. The investigators propose to study whether prophylactic oral antibiotics following transsphenoidal surgery improve sinonasal quality of life, reduce sinusitis incidence, and promote mucosal healing following endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery.