垂体学会基于专家共识确立了统一标准的卓越垂体肿瘤中心（PTCOE）的概念和大部分定性参数的定义。本研究的目的是通过收集和评估几个国际知名的终末垂体中心的自我报告活动，验证先前提出的这些标准，从而将2017年的定性定义转化为经验证的定量定义，成为未来客观PTCOE认证的基础。由项目科学委员会选择的9个垂体中心和世界声誉中心组成，并同意在60天内提供与2018-2020年相关的活动信息，并完成数据库。每个中心提供的数据库由Excel®电子表格组成，包含关于主要和支持团队的特定信息，由两位盲审评审，并且根据评委的评估，所有9个候选中心均符合整体PTCOE定义。为了获得客观的数值标准，每个活动/参数的中位数值被视为首选的PTCOE定义目标，而范围的下限被选为各自参数的可接受目标。偏爱三名专职垂体神经外科医生，而接受一个专职外科医生。此外，每年每个中心进行100次手术被视为首选，而结果显示每年进行50次手术也是可接受的。术后急性并发症，包括死亡率和重新入院率，最好可以忽略不计或不存在，但可接受的标准是术后30天内需要重新入院的并发症患者比例低于10%。一个PTCOE需要四名垂体病专科内分泌学家，并且在PTCOE中有待随访的患者总人口不得少于850。至少应该有一名专门从事垂体疾病的放射科、病理学和眼科专家，而至少需要两名专业放射治疗医师。据我们所知，这是第一项调查和评估大量垂体领域高产量中心活动的研究。这一通过内部评审员的内部验证的努力，使之前提出的理论标准转化为基于真实证据的精确数值定义。独立机构可以应用这些标准的衍生摘要来对垂体中心进行PTCOE认证。© 2023. 作者。

The Pituitary Society established the concept and mostly qualitative parameters for defining uniform criteria for Pituitary Tumor Centers of Excellence (PTCOEs) based on expert consensus. Aim of the study was to validate those previously proposed criteria through collection and evaluation of self-reported activity of several internationally-recognized tertiary pituitary centers, thereby transforming the qualitative 2017 definition into a validated quantitative one, which could serve as the basis for future objective PTCOE accreditation.An ad hoc prepared database was distributed to nine Pituitary Centers chosen by the Project Scientific Committee and comprising Centers of worldwide repute, which agreed to provide activity information derived from registries related to the years 2018-2020 and completing the database within 60 days. The database, provided by each center and composed of Excel® spreadsheets with requested specific information on leading and supporting teams, was reviewed by two blinded referees and all 9 candidate centers satisfied the overall PTCOE definition, according to referees' evaluations. To obtain objective numerical criteria, median values for each activity/parameter were considered as the preferred PTCOE definition target, whereas the low limit of the range was selected as the acceptable target for each respective parameter.Three dedicated pituitary neurosurgeons are preferred, whereas one dedicated surgeon is acceptable. Moreover, 100 surgical procedures per center per year are preferred, while the results indicated that 50 surgeries per year are acceptable. Acute post-surgery complications, including mortality and readmission rates, should preferably be negligible or nonexistent, but acceptable criterion is a rate lower than 10% of patients with complications requiring readmission within 30 days after surgery. Four endocrinologists devoted to pituitary diseases are requested in a PTCOE and the total population of patients followed in a PTCOE should not be less than 850. It appears acceptable that at least one dedicated/expert in pituitary diseases is present in neuroradiology, pathology, and ophthalmology groups, whereas at least two expert radiation oncologists are needed.This is, to our knowledge, the first study to survey and evaluate the activity of a relevant number of high-volume centers in the pituitary field. This effort, internally validated by ad hoc reviewers, allowed for transformation of previously formulated theoretical criteria for the definition of a PTCOE to precise numerical definitions based on real-life evidence. The application of a derived synopsis of criteria could be used by independent bodies for accreditation of pituitary centers as PTCOEs.© 2023. The Author(s).