Endocrine Abstracts

The work was initiated to study histological characteristics of various pituitary adenomas (PA). We examined 47 patients with various PA undergoing surgery, 18 men (38.8%) and 29 women (61.7%) among them/ 32 patients of those (68.1%) were operated on transsphenoidally, 15 people (31.9%) and 1 patient (2.1%) undergoing the osteoplastic cranial trepanation and the diagnostic biopsy, respectively. Pre-operational CT/MRT of hypothalamohypophysial system detected infrasellar growth of tumor in 7 (14.9%) patients, endosupraparasellar one with optic nerve compression in 18 (38.3%), endosuprasellar and endoparasellar growth being observed in 14 (29.8%) and 7 (14.9%) patients, respectively, one subject (2.1%) having endosuprasellar tumor growth with the brain cistern compression. In 27 patients the formation was removed completely, in 20 people (42.55%) the resection was partial. Post-operationally growth has been observed to continue in 4 patients (8.5%), the tumor recurring in 3 people (6.4%), secondarily empty Turkish saddle formed in 4 (8.5%).

Histological inverstigation revealed 18 (38.3%) cases of chromophobic adenomas, 13 (27.7%) STH-secreating eosinophilic tumours, 5 patients (10.6%) with PRL-secreting tumours and 2 (4.2%) with the mixed adenomas, 1 subject (2.1%) having basophilic cell tumour. Craniopharingeomas were found in 3 patients (6.4%), cholesteatoma in 1 (2.1%), cystoadenoma in 2 (4.2%), one chondroma (2.1%) and one meningeoma (2.1%) being observed too.

The study showed that eosinophilic cell adenomas secreting both STH and PRL were more aggressive, appearing earlier, growing faster and more frequently invading parasellar structures (14.9%) to hinder removal and recur more often (6.4%). Clinical characterization of the examined patients was of functionally inactive pituitary tumour type with prolactinoma picture in 5 cases, 13 and 2 cases being of acromegaly clinical picture and one of mammosomatotrophic adenomas, respectively. Three adolescents had large craniopharingeomas, growing into adjacent structures and accompanied by physical and sexual retardation.