Incidental pituitary adenomas

1981 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Parent ◽  
Jose Bebin ◽  
Robert R. Smith

✓ Pituitary glands from 500 consecutive autopsies were reviewed and the findings correlated with clinical symptomatology. Occult pituitary adenomas were identified in 42 pituitary glands (8.5%). In only one case was a pituitary lesion clinically questioned, but specific hypophyseal function studies were not performed. These tumors occurred most frequently in the sixth and seventh decade of life, without obvious sex predominance. Of these patients, 48% were obese, 57% were hypertensive, and diabetes mellitus was noted in 34%. Of the 17 cases in which skull x-ray films had been taken, suspicious or abnormal areas were found in 11. The tumor size ranged from 1 to 15 mm, but was greater than 1 cm in only one case. In 34 cases, the tumor was located along the periphery of the gland. Even though the etiological and functional significance of these tumors is unclear, the clinical course appears to be relatively benign.

1978 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 854-861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucio Palma ◽  
Nicola Di Lorenzo ◽  
Beniamino Guidetti

✓ The correlation existing in several human malignancies between lymphocytic infiltration and prolonged survival prompted this study. Two hundred selected patients who were operated on for glioblastoma were reviewed to investigate the incidence of the lymphocytic infiltration in the histological slides and its possible relevance to a better clinical course. The group that exhibited a definite lymphocytic infiltration (Group A, 11.5%) had a significantly longer preoperative history and postoperative survival (p < 0.01) than the other two groups that presented slight or no infiltration (Group B, 23%, and Group C, 65%, respectively). In addition, biopsies of 28 recidivous gliomas were reviewed to study the fate of this lymphocytic infiltration in relation to time and therapy, such as irradiation and steroids which are known to depress the immune response. The authors found that severe lymphocytic infiltration is a rare immunobiological reaction which significantly improves the prognosis of a malignant brain tumor and seems not to be influenced by time, local x-ray therapy, or steroids.


2003 ◽  
Vol 98 (5) ◽  
pp. 974-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilantha B. Ellegala ◽  
Tord D. Alden ◽  
Daniel E. Couture ◽  
Mary L. Vance ◽  
Nicholas F. Maartens ◽  
...  

Object. Older men with clinically nonfunctioning pituitary tumors have been noted to be anemic, to have hypopituitarism, and to have low serum levels of testosterone. The authors hypothesized that men with pituitary adenomas and hypogonadism have a physiologically related decrease in hematocrit. Methods. A retrospective analysis was conducted of 216 patients older than 50 years of age who harbored pituitary adenomas. In 100 men serum testosterone levels and a complete blood (cell) count (CBC) were obtained before treatment; a CBC was also acquired in a series of women with pituitary adenomas. Using clinical laboratory standards, anemia was defined as a hematocrit less than 40% in men and less than 35% in women. Thirty-one (46.3%) of 67 men with low serum concentrations of testosterone were anemic. In men with low levels of testosterone, the average hematocrit was 39.9%, compared with 45.6% for men with normal testosterone levels (p < 0.001). Men with macroadenomas were most likely to have both anemia and a low serum concentration of testosterone. Anemia was associated with a low level of testosterone, adjusting for tumor size (odds ratio 19, 95% confidence interval 4.86–77.03). Of patients with anemia, 84% were men and 16% were women (p < 0.001). The prevalence of anemia in women was low and was not correlated with tumor size. Men receiving testosterone replacement therapy had a significantly higher hematocrit value than men with low or normal testosterone levels. Conclusions. These findings support a direct relationship between serum testosterone levels and hematopoiesis in men, and demonstrate that hematopoiesis is compromised in men who have low concentrations of testosterone due to a pituitary adenoma.


1975 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 437-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Humberto Ortiz-Suarez ◽  
Donald L. Erickson

✓ A review of four cases of chromophobe adenomas in adolescents suggests that extracapsular extension with invasion of parasellar structures is more common in this age group than in adults. A syndrome of adolescent obesity, oculomotor palsies, and plain x-ray changes of the sella characterizes this group.


2004 ◽  
Vol 101 (Supplement3) ◽  
pp. 362-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Selch ◽  
Alessandro Pedroso ◽  
Steve P. Lee ◽  
Timothy D. Solberg ◽  
Nzhde Agazaryan ◽  
...  

Object. The authors sought to assess the safety and efficacy of stereotactic radiotherapy when using a linear accelerator equipped with a micromultileaf collimator for the treatment of patients with acoustic neuromas. Methods. Fifty patients harboring acoustic neuromas were treated with stereotactic radiotherapy between September 1997 and June 2003. Two patients were lost to follow-up review. Patient age ranged from 20 to 76 years (median 59 years), and none had neurofibromatosis. Forty-two patients had useful hearing prior to stereotactic radiotherapy. The fifth and seventh cranial nerve functions were normal in 44 and 46 patients, respectively. Tumor volume ranged from 0.3 to 19.25 ml (median 2.51 ml). The largest tumor dimension varied from 0.6 to 4 cm (median 2.2 cm). Treatment planning in all patients included computerized tomography and magnetic resonance image fusion and beam shaping by using a micromultileaf collimator. The planning target volume included the contrast-enhancing tumor mass and a margin of normal tissue varying from 1 to 3 mm (median 2 mm). All tumors were treated with 6-MV photons and received 54 Gy prescribed at the 90% isodose line encompassing the planning target volume. A sustained increase greater than 2 mm in any tumor dimension was defined as local relapse. The follow-up duration varied from 6 to 74 months (median 36 months). The local tumor control rate in the 48 patients available for follow up was 100%. Central tumor hypodensity occurred in 32 patients (67%) at a median of 6 months following stereotactic radiotherapy. In 12 patients (25%), tumor size increased 1 to 2 mm at a median of 6 months following stereotactic radiotherapy. Increased tumor size in six of these patients was transient. In 13 patients (27%), tumor size decreased 1 to 14 mm at a median of 6 months after treatment. Useful hearing was preserved in 39 patients (93%). New facial numbness occurred in one patient (2.2%) with normal fifth cranial nerve function prior to stereotactic radiotherapy. New facial palsy occurred in one patient (2.1%) with normal seventh cranial nerve function prior to treatment. No patient's pretreatment dysfunction of the fifth or seventh cranial nerve worsened after stereotactic radiotherapy. Tinnitus improved in six patients and worsened in two. Conclusions. Stereotactic radiotherapy using field shaping for the treatment of acoustic neuromas achieves high rates of tumor control and preservation of useful hearing. The technique produces low rates of damage to the fifth and seventh cranial nerves. Long-term follow-up studies are necessary to confirm these findings.


1984 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 188-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Leibowitz ◽  
William Barton ◽  
Parvis Sadighi ◽  
Jeffrey S. Ross

✓ A patient with an anterior sacral meningocele combined with a hamartoma was diagnosed with x-ray films, myelography, and computerized tomography. She was successfully operated on by a transabdominal approach.


1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 520-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Knöringer

✓ With surgery of the vertebral column under image intensification, surgical instruments and conventional metal retractors often obscure important x-ray landmarks. Surgery is more difficult, operating time is longer, and exposure to x-rays is increased. The author has developed x-ray-translucent retractors for ventral and dorsal operations. Although for reasons of strength these retractors have somewhat more bulk than equivalent metal retractors, they are sufficiently stable and are compatible with spacial requirements. They can be sterilized and reused.


1977 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 609-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. James Gardner ◽  
Herbert S. Bell ◽  
Pete N. Poolos ◽  
Donald F. Dohn ◽  
Marta Steinberg

✓ The clinical course of 12 patients who underwent terminal ventriculostomy for syringomyelia is presented. Opening the central canal at the tip of the conus medullaris is a relatively benign procedure that improves the symptoms of syringomyelia and syringobulbia. This canal normally terminates at the tip of the conus, but in each of the 12 surgical specimens it continued into the filum terminale for distances up to 8 cm. In most cases the tip of the conus was located more caudally than normal, indicating some degree of tethering in fetal life. This belief is supported by the fact that the newborn, whose conus is tethered to a lipoma at the sacral level, may develop syringomyelia in adult life.


1992 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 941-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arvind Ahuja ◽  
Lee R. Guterman ◽  
Leo N. Hopkins

✓ A case is presented of severe atherosclerosis of the basilar artery, successfully treated with percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty. Crescendo daily transient ischemic attacks consisted of alternating hemiplegia and were refractory to medical management, including anticoagulation therapy. The clinical course, endovascular treatment, and results are described. Prior published experiences with this condition are reviewed.


1982 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 515-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Hill ◽  
James M. Falko ◽  
Charles B. Wilson ◽  
William E. Hunt

✓ Hyperthyroidism due to thyrotrophin (TSH)-secreting pituitary tumors is rare. Four cases are described, with the features that allow preoperative diagnosis. In all the patients, thyroid hormone production was consistently elevated despite antithyroid therapy, and TSH levels were inappropriately elevated. All patients were treated with both surgery and irradiation. Each patient had recurrent tumor with suprasellar, intrasphenoidal, or intraorbital spread. The combination of a recurrent, aggressive tumor complicated by thyrotoxicosis makes this a complex and difficult surgical problem.


2000 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 626-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natarajan Muthukumar ◽  
Bhuvaneswari Subramaniam ◽  
Thangaraj Gnanaseelan ◽  
Ramesh Rathinam ◽  
Appaswamy Thiruthavadoss

Object. Anorectal malformations are known to be associated with neurological deficits, which may contribute to the disability suffered by patients with these malformations. This study was undertaken to determine the incidence and pattern of sacral abnormalities in children with anorectal malformations, the incidence and nature of the neurological deficits, and the incidence and nature of operable intraspinal abnormalities in patients with this condition.Methods. Neurological evaluation was performed in 81 children with anorectal malformations. Plain x-ray films were obtained to identify the presence of sacral abnormalities. The patients with neurological deficits were evaluated for the presence of operable intraspinal anomalies, and when such anomalies were identified, correction of the same was undertaken. In 21% of these children radiographic evidence of sacral abnormalities was shown. Fifteen percent of patients harbored neurological deficits, and 10% harbored operable intraspinal anomalies. In addition, one patient had split notochord syndrome. Patients with operable intraspinal anomalies underwent surgical correction, with resultant neurological improvement.Conclusions. Bone abnormalities of the sacrum, neurological deficits, and operable intraspinal lesions are not uncommon in children with anorectal malformations. Because the neurological deficits can contribute to the disability suffered by these individuals, we recommend routine screening of patients with anorectal malformations and neurological deficits and/or sacral abnormalities for the early identification and treatment of potentially correctable intraspinal lesions.


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