AUBMC Doctors Perform Endoscopic Surgery

An endoscope is inserted through the nose to allow surgeons to remove tumors

Two surgeons from the AUB Medical Center have successfully performed over the past three months six endoscopic endonasal surgeries for the removal of pituitary tumors, which can wreak havoc in a person's hormonal system if left untreated.

Dr. Usama Hadi and Dr. Marwan Najjar recently teamed up to introduce the new procedure at AUBMC, which is among the few medical centers that offer the surgery in the Arab world. The endoscopic surgical removal of pituitary tumors through the nose replaces conventional surgery, which involved an invasive procedure requiring an incision through the upper lip and through the nose.

Drs. Hadi and Najjar have performed almost eight such surgeries at AUBMC over the past year, and both surgeons lauded the new procedure: "Through endoscopic surgery, we have reduced hospital stay for patients from four or five days to only 24 hours….Moreover, the surgery itself takes less than two hours, whereas conventional surgery used to take nearly five hours."

Because endoscopic surgery is considered minimally invasive, patients can expect a faster recovery time and none of the cosmetic deformities that were associated with the conventional surgery, which often caused saddling of the nose and swelling of the lips, explained the AUBMC surgeons.

Though non-cancerous, pituitary tumors are quite common and can affect the younger and middle-aged population, causing visual problems or hormonal disturbances that may lead to other health problems. The surgical removal of the tumors is a relatively new procedure worldwide and only became widely available in Europe and the United States six years ago.

Dr. Hadi, an AUB medical school graduate, joined AUBMC in 1992, after having completed specialty training in endoscopic sinus surgery at the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He is currently a clinical professor of otolaryngology and a head and neck surgeon at AUBMC.

Dr. Najjar, also an AUB medical school graduate, joined AUBMC as a faculty member in 2006, after having trained and practiced at the University of California at Irvine and then in Saudi Arabia as a consultant neurosurgeon for several years. He is currently an assistant professor of clinical surgery at AUBMC, with special interest in the surgical treatment of brain and pituitary tumors and in epilepsy surgery.