Skull base
Diabetes insipidus after sellar surgery
Also called: arginine vasopressin deficiency, AVP deficiency, central diabetes insipidus, permanent DI
Central diabetes insipidus after sellar surgery is a deficiency of vasopressin that causes large volumes of dilute urine. It can be transient, triphasic or permanent.
Central diabetes insipidus (DI), now also called arginine vasopressin deficiency, occurs when the posterior pituitary or pituitary stalk can no longer release enough vasopressin. Without it the kidneys cannot concentrate urine, causing polyuria, thirst and a risk of high sodium.
After pituitary or sellar surgery DI is often transient, resolving within days. Some patients show a triphasic pattern: early DI, then a phase of inappropriate vasopressin release with low sodium, then permanent DI once the remaining vasopressin stores are exhausted.
Permanent DI is especially common after craniopharyngioma surgery because the tumor often involves the stalk and hypothalamus, and the risk rises with more aggressive resection. It is managed long term with desmopressin.
Tools that use this
- Craniopharyngioma Outcomes StudioPredict tumor recurrence and permanent diabetes insipidus after craniopharyngioma surgery, with SHAP explanations and an extent-of-resection trade-off.
- Tuberculum Sella Meningioma StudioCompare endoscopic and transcranial plans for tuberculum sellae meningioma, from partial to gross-total resection, and predict post-op visual improvement.
Related terms
Educational reference. Not medical advice and not for clinical decision-making.