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Revision as of 15:01, 27 August 2015

Pituitary adenoma (patient information)
ICD-10 D35.2
ICD-9 237.0
ICD-O: Template:ICDO
MedlinePlus 000704
MeSH D010911

Pituitary adenoma

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

Who is at highest risk?

When to seek urgent medical care?

Diagnosis

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Pituitary adenoma?

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

Pituitary adenoma On the Web

Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov

Images of Pituitary adenoma

Videos on Pituitary adenoma

FDA on Pituitary adenoma

CDC on Pituitary adenoma

Pituitary adenoma in the news

Blogs on Pituitary adenoma

Directions to Hospitals Treating Pituitary adenoma

Risk calculators and risk factors for Pituitary adenoma

For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Varun Kumar, M.B.B.S.; Jinhui Wu, M.D.

Overview

Pituitary adenoma is a type of benign tumors in pituitary gland. The pituitary is considered the "master control gland" of hormone production because it regulates the activity of most other glands in the body. Hormones released by pituitary include vasopressin, oxytocin, growth hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, luteinizing hormone and prolactin. Although the tumors do not grow very large, they can have a big impact on a person's health. When the tumor becomes larger, it can compress and cause damage to nearby parts of the brain. Symptoms of pituitary adenoma depend on the location of the tumor. Different regional tumor affects different hormones and appear different signs. Usual symptoms include vision loss, overproduction of hormones and hormone deficiency. Diagnostic tests include hormone levels in blood and/or urine samples detection, head computed tomography (CT) scan, head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and vision and visual fields tests. Treatments include surgery, radiation therapy and medicines.

What are the symptoms of Pituitary adenoma?

Most pituitary tumors produce too much of one or more hormones. As a result, symptoms of one or more of the following conditions can occur:

Symptoms caused by pressure from a larger pituitary tumor may include:

Rarely, these symptoms may occur suddenly and can be severe.

What causes Pituitary adenoma?

The causes of pituitary adenomas are unknown. However, some are part of a hereditary disorder called multiple endocrine neoplasia I (MEN I).

When to seek urgent medical care?

Call your health care provider if you develop any symptoms of a pituitary tumor.

Diagnosis

Your health care provider will perform a physical examination. The provider will note any problems with double vision and visual field, such as a loss of peripheral vision or the ability to see in certain areas.

Endocrine function tests include:

  • Free T4 test
  • TSH test

Tests that help confirm the diagnosis include the following:

  • Formal visual field testing
  • MRI of head

Treatment options

Pituitary tumors are usually not cancerous and therefore won't spread to other areas of the body. However, as they grow, they may place pressure on important nerves and blood vessels.

Surgery to remove the tumor is often necessary, especially if the tumor is pressing on the optic nerves, which could cause blindness.

Most of the time, pituitary tumors can be removed through the nose and sinuses. However, some tumors cannot be removed this way and will need to be removed through the skull (transcranial).

Radiation therapy may be used to shrink the tumor, either in combination with surgery or for people who cannot have surgery.

The following medications may shrink certain types of tumors:

Bromocriptine or cabergoline are the first-line therapy for tumors that release prolactin. These drugs decrease prolactin levels and shrink the tumor. Octreotide or pegvisomant is sometimes used for tumors that release growth hormone, especially when surgery is unlikely to result in a cure.

Where to find medical care for Pituitary adenoma?

Directions to Hospitals Treating Pituitary adenoma

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

If the tumor can be surgically removed, the outlook is fair to good, depending upon whether the entire tumor is removed.

Possible complications

The most serious complication is blindness. This can occur if the optic nerve is seriously damaged.

The tumor or its removal may cause permanent hormone imbalances. The affected hormones may need to be replaced.

Sources

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000704.htm

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