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Challenging Cases in Endocrinology pp 1–16Cite as

Pituitary Tumors

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Part of the book series: Contemporary Endocrinology ((COE))

Abstract

A 27-yr-old woman initially presented to the emergency room in 1988 at age 16 with increasing headaches and decreased visual acuity and was found to have a visual field defect. She also had primary amenorrhea. A computed tomography (CT) scan showed a 2 × 3-cm suprasellar mass and she was admitted to the neurosurgery service. She was operated on for what was thought then to be a craniopharyngioma. Her examination at that time showed a modestly obese young girl of normal height with Tanner Stage IV breast and pubic hair development. Preoperative laboratory results that were not available at the time of the surgery showed a serum PRL of 1270 ng/mL, a cortisol of 6.6 µg/dL, a T4 of 4.8 µg/dL, a growth hormone (GH) of 1.4 ng/mL, a luteinizing hormone (LH) of 3.8 mIU/mL, and a follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) of 17.4 mIU/mL. Postoperatively, her PRL was 415 ng/mL and she was referred to the endocrine service where testing showed panhypopituitarism. A postoperative MRI showed little change in the tumor size. She was begun on 1-thyroxine, prednisone, and bromocriptine.

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Authors
  1. Moises Mercado MD
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  2. Mark E. Molitch MD
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL, USA

    Mark E. Molitch MD

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Mercado, M., Molitch, M.E. (2002). Pituitary Tumors. In: Molitch, M.E. (eds) Challenging Cases in Endocrinology. Contemporary Endocrinology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-277-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-277-7_1

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61737-249-0

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