Surgical Treatment of Pituitary Adenomas

Review
In: Endotext [Internet]. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc.; 2000.
.

Excerpt

The overwhelming majority of pituitary adenomas are benign and present either with characteristic syndromes of excess hormone secretion or secondary to mass effect by the growing tumor. The common hypersecretory syndromes include Cushing’s disease, acromegaly/gigantism, and hyperprolactinemia. Local mass effects on the pituitary can cause varying degrees of hypopituitarism. As the tumor grows beyond the confines of the sella turcica, the visual pathways are commonly affected and visual field deficits are present. Effective medical therapy is available for prolactin secreting adenomas. With the exception of these tumors, transsphenoidal surgery remains the first-line treatment for most other pituitary adenomas. Medical therapy for growth hormone secreting adenomas and for Cushing’s disease continues to evolve. For complete coverage of all related areas of Endocrinology, please visit our on-line FREE web-text, WWW.ENDOTEXT.ORG.

Publication types

  • Review