The winners in life treat their body as if it were a magnificent spacecraft that gives them the finest transportation and endurance for their lives.
-Denis Waitley
PNA Spotlight: Dr. William Couldwell
This month the PNA Spotlight focuses on William Couldwell, MD, PhD, who serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Utah. He is also a member of the PNA’s Scientific Advisory Panel. He studied at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, majoring in physical chemistry and biology. Dr. Couldwell attended medical school at McGill University in Montreal. He did internship in surgery at the University of Southern California and completed a neurosurgical residency there in 1989. He served as a research fellow in neuroimmunology at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital and research fellow in the neurosurgical service in Lausanne, Switzerland. He returned to U-S-C as an assistant professor of neurological surgery in 1991, where he stayed for four years. Later he became professor and chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at New York Medical College, as well as program director of neurosurgical residency in 1997. In 2001 he became professor and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Utah. Dr. Couldwell was kind enough to answer some questions from the PNA. His answers follow.
PNA Medical Corner: Fascia Lata in Reconstructive Neurosurgery
This month the PNA Medical Corner showcases an article co-authored by a member of the PNA, Dr. Varun Kshettry of the Cleveland Clinic. The study concludes that the use of fascia lata in challenging cases of skull base reconstruction is highly effective with few side effects for cases of craniopharyngioma, meningioma and more.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37081750/
Abstract
Background: Multiple methods exist for skull base reconstruction of defects created by expanded endonasal approaches. While the nasoseptal flap (NSF) has been well established as the workhorse of mucosal reconstruction in complex skull base defects in multi-layered closures, a variety of options exist for the inner layer of multilayer reconstruction, including fascia lata (FL).
Objective: To present our experience and outcomes in utilizing FL in multiple ways to reconstruct a wide variety of complex skull base defects
Featured News and Updates
News Articles July 2026
Infant diagnosed with pituitary tumor
Doctors in the U.K. diagnosed a 4-month-old baby boy with a pituitary tumor and performed surgery to remove it. Read more: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/bradford-baby-diagnosed-brain-tumour-020000577.html
Pituitary journey: Soccer superstar Lionel Messi
A doctor in the U.K. well-known for his internet explainer videos explains on the case of soccer star Lionel Messi, who was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency as a child and underwent years of growth hormone injections. His family paid for the medical care at first but then Team Barcelona agreed to cover the cost of his treatment in Spain. See the YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liovxj7D0H4
Pituitary journey: from patient to future neurosurgeon
An article on The Good Things Guy website looks at the pituitary journey of Cadi de Jager, a 19-year-old woman in South Africa who was diagnosed at age nine with a Rathke’s Cleft cyst. She underwent two surgeries and is now in college with the goal of becoming a pediatric neurosurgeon. Read more: https://www.goodthingsguy.com/cadi-de-jager-conquered-brain-tumour/
Sprained ankle leads to Cushing’s diagnosis
A teen in Brazil with a sprained ankle went to the ER – where alert doctors decided to test him for Cushing’s disease after hearing about his sudden weight gain, headaches and high blood pressure. Read more: https://en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br/teens-weight-gain-and-cushings-disease-revealed-by-ankle-injury-doctors-discover-tiny-pituitary-tumor-in-113-kilo-brazilian-adolescent-vacs75/#goog_rewarded
Research Articles
Research Articles July 2026
Pituitary tumors
Pituitary adenoma-associated with Schopf-Schulz-Passarge syndrome.
Brady RT, Allinson K, René C.BMJ Case Rep. 2026 Jun 26;19(6):e267144. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2025-267144.
Immune and clinicopathological features of molecularly defined prolactinoma subtypes.
Wang DP, Liu YT, Dai YT, Chen S, Cheng YJ, Lin SJ, Zhang Y, Xue L, Xie J, Wu ZB.J Neurosurg. 2026 Jun 26:1-11. doi: 10.3171/2026.1.JNS251768. Online ahead of print.
Yang Z, Liu Y, Wu D, Xu B, Zeng S, Zhang W.Int J Endocrinol. 2026 Jun 24;2026:3784550. doi: 10.1155/ije/3784550. eCollection 2026.
An Explainable Multi-Scale Deep Learning Framework for Multi-Class Brain MRI Classification.
Alshammari HH, Mahmood MA.Diagnostics (Basel). 2026 Jun 10;16(12):1791. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics16121791.
Zhang Y, Mi Z, Wu H, Ma X, Xi L, Yang Z, Liu P.Curr Oncol. 2026 May 27;33(6):310. doi: 10.3390/curroncol33060310.
Pituitary Tumors in Maxillofacial Radiology and Daily Practice: A Scoping Review.
Stucki L, Mauer U, Kildal D, Rózsa NK, Geibel MA.Dent J (Basel). 2026 Jun 15;14(6):368. doi: 10.3390/dj14060368.
Agosti E, Cuocolo R, Mangili M, Rampinelli V, Veiceschi P, Cappelletti M, Panciani PP, Piazza A, Bove I, Solari D, Cavallo LM, Locatelli D, Doglietto F, Fiorindi A, Fontanella MM, Ugga L.J Neurol Surg B Skull Base. 2025 Jun 4;87(3):314-321. doi: 10.1055/a-2607-0735. eCollection 2026 Jun.
Acromegaly
Gadelha MR, Gordon MB, Doknic M, Mezősi E, Tóth M, Randeva H, Boguszewski CL, Davidson C, Casagrande A, Jochelson T, Krasner A.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2026 Jun 26:dgag254. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgag254. Online ahead of print.
Cushing’s
Honegger J, Grimm F, Gött H, Nasi-Kordhishti I.Eur J Endocrinol. 2026 Jun 26:lvag115. doi: 10.1093/ejendo/lvag115. Online ahead of print.
Garmes HM, Siqueira SC, Daniel KB, Trentin MBF, Fujiwara MT, Schinoll C, Fabbro MD, Rogerio F, Deus-Silva L, Reis F.Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2026 Jun 25;70(4):e260064. doi: 10.20945/2359-4292-2026-0064.
Pituitary apoplexy
Li X, Zhou L, Lei Z, Li S, Wang Q, Zhao H, Xu L, Chen J, Wan X, Huang Y, Lei T.Int J Mol Sci. 2026 Jun 22;27(12):5635. doi: 10.3390/ijms27125635.
Pituitary cancer
Wong YP, Khairuddin NL, Thanabalan J, Tan GC.Diagnostics (Basel). 2026 Jun 9;16(12):1773. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics16121773.
Pituitary Metastasis in Lung Cancer Patients: Case Series and Review of the Literature.
Ntouraki S, Roumpou A, Asimakopoulou A, Gkiozos I, Sarropoulou F, Mani M, Marioli A, Bouklas D, Syrigos K, Peppa M.Curr Oncol. 2026 Jun 16;33(6):362. doi: 10.3390/curroncol33060362.
Hormonal Health
Stojanović SM, Burić NB, Kostić MS, Burić KN, Stojković BB, Spasić MS, Tijanić M, Trajković M, Jovanović R, Petrović MS.Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2026 Jun 12;19(6):930. doi: 10.3390/ph19060930.
La Vignera S, Condorelli RA.Antioxidants (Basel). 2026 Jun 22;15(6):778. doi: 10.3390/antiox15060778.
Marraschi GK, Vitale OG, Kassuya CAL, Jorge BC, Arena AC.Reprod Toxicol. 2026 Jun 25:109298. doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2026.109298. Online ahead of print.
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