Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: The work was initiated to study prolactin levels in hormonally inactive pituitary adenoma by the size of the tumor.

Material and methods: We examined 85 patients with hormonally inactive pituitary adenomas, 45 women and 40 men among them aged from 18 to 50 years (mean age 44.5±3.85 years). The disease duration from the onset to diagnosis based on the medical history and MRI ranged from 1 to 15 years.

Results and discussion: Guided by the aim of study we divided the patients into three groups. 26 patients with the tumor size up to 10 mm were included into the first group. Thirty-three patients with the tumor size up to 20 mm comprised the second group. Twenty-six patients with the tumor size 30 and more mm were included into the third group. Analysis of hormonal parameters demonstrated correlation between prolactin level and the tumor size. Hyperprolactinemia was registered in 2, 45 and 100% of patients in the first group, second and third groups, respectively. In patients with macroadenomas hyperprolactinemia was clinically presented in combination with hypopituitarism. Among patients of the third group, chiasmal and cephalgic syndromes, the latter with the oculomotor nerve damage, were the main symptoms; lactorrhea-amenorrhea syndrome came the third.

Conclusions: Quite frequent sign of hormonally inactive adenoma, hyperprolactinemia upon formations in chiasmal-sellar area not always can be an outcome of prolactin-secreting adenomas; the fact is to be taken into account in choosing the treatment tactics.