Management of prolactinomas associated with very high serum prolactin levels

1988 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 554-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel L. Barrow ◽  
Junichi Mizuno ◽  
George T. Tindall
Keyword(s):  
Pituitary Adenomas ◽  
High Serum ◽  
Serum Prolactin ◽  
Treatment Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Preoperative Serum ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
Very High ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The authors have reviewed the results of transsphenoidal microsurgical management in 69 patients with prolactin-secreting pituitary adenomas who had preoperative serum prolactin levels over 200 ng/ml. The patients were divided into three groups based on their preoperative serum prolactin levels: over 200 to 500 ng/ml (Group A); over 500 to 1000 ng/ml (Group B); and over 1000 ng/ml (Group C). The percentage of successful treatment (“control rate”) was 68%, 30%, and 14%, respectively, in these three groups of patients. Based on these results, the authors offer guidelines for the management of patients with prolactin-secreting pituitary adenomas associated with exceptionally high serum prolactin levels. The surgical control rate of 68% in Group A seems to justify surgery for these patients, while primary medical care with bromocriptine is recommended for most patients with serum prolactin levels over 500 ng/ml.

Serum prolactin in patients with hypothalamus and pituitary disorders

1981 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Olov Lundberg ◽  
Per Olof Osterman ◽  
Leif Wide
Keyword(s):  
Pituitary Adenoma ◽  
Pituitary Adenomas ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
High Serum ◽  
Serum Prolactin ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sellar Tumor ◽  
Very High ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Serum prolactin concentrations were studied in 115 patients with anatomically defined disorders in the hypothalamo-pituitary region. Fifty of the patients had expansively growing pituitary adenomas; in 17 of them (13 females and four males) the prolactin values were slightly raised (15 to 100 µg/liter), and in 13 (11 females and two males) they were over 100 µg/liter. The frequency of elevated prolactin values was higher for females than for males. Fifteen patients with invasively growing pituitary adenomas had very high serum prolactin levels (range 1230 to 31,500 µg/liter, geometric mean 3150 µg/liter). In a single case of malignant pituitary adenoma, the serum prolactin was at the lower level of detection. Of 49 further patients with suprasellar meningiomas, craniopharyngiomas, or other expansive or destructive lesions of the hypothalamus and sellar region, 15 had slightly raised prolactin values (maximum 114 µg/liter). Eight of these 49 patients had sellar destruction, with a roentgenological picture similar to that in patients with invasive pituitary adenomas. Among these eight patients, the maximum prolactin value was 67 µg/liter. It is concluded that moderately raised serum prolactin values (up to 100 µg/liter) in a patient with a sellar tumor does not prove that the tumor is a prolactinoma. A serum prolactin value of 100 to 1000 µg/liter strongly indicates a prolactin-producing tumor. In a patient with sellar destruction, a serum prolactin value of over 1000 µg/liter is proof that the destruction is caused by an invasive pituitary adenoma.

Radiosurgery and the prevention of regrowth of incompletely removed nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas

2005 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
pp. 71-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piero Picozzi ◽  
Marco Losa ◽  
Pietro Mortini ◽  
Micol Angela Valle ◽  
Alberto Franzin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pituitary Adenomas ◽  
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery ◽  
Additional Treatment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas ◽  
Surgical Debulking ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The authors studied the efficacy of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) in the prevention of regrowth of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NPA). Methods. One hundred nineteen patients were included in this study and were divided into two groups. All patients had undergone surgery in our department and recurrent or residual adenoma was demonstrated on postoperative MR imaging. Group A consisted of 68 patients who were followed without additional treatment. Group B was composed of 51 patients who received GKS within 1 year after microsurgery. There was no significant demographic difference between the two groups. In Group B the mean margin dose was 16.5 ± 0.3 Gy (range 13–21 Gy). Fifty one and one tenth percent of patients in Group A were recurrence free at 5 years and 89.8% in Group B (p < 0.001). In Group B patients, tumor volume decreased from a baseline value of 2.4 ± 0.2 cm3 to 1.6 ± 0.2 cm3 at last follow up (p < 0.001). Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that GKS is effective in controlling growth of residual NPA for at least 5 years following initial maximal surgical debulking compared with no radiation therapy. Thus, GKS is recommended after microsurgery when visible tumor can be detected on imaging studies.

Radiosurgery and the prevention of regrowth of incompletely removed nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas

2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (Special_Supplement) ◽  
pp. 71-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piero Picozzi ◽  
Marco Losa ◽  
Pietro Mortini ◽  
Micol Angela Valle ◽  
Alberto Franzin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pituitary Adenomas ◽  
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery ◽  
Additional Treatment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas ◽  
Surgical Debulking ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The authors studied the efficacy of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) in the prevention of regrowth of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NPA). Methods. One hundred nineteen patients were included in this study and were divided into two groups. All patients had undergone surgery in our department and recurrent or residual adenoma was demonstrated on postoperative MR imaging. Group A consisted of 68 patients who were followed without additional treatment. Group B was composed of 51 patients who received GKS within 1 year after microsurgery. There was no significant demographic difference between the two groups. In Group B the mean margin dose was 16.5 ± 0.3 Gy (range 13–21 Gy). Fifty one and one tenth percent of patients in Group A were recurrence free at 5 years and 89.8% in Group B (p < 0.001). In Group B patients, tumor volume decreased from a baseline value of 2.4 ± 0.2 cm3 to 1.6 ± 0.2 cm3 at last follow up (p < 0.001). Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that GKS is effective in controlling growth of residual NPA for at least 5 years following initial maximal surgical debulking compared with no radiation therapy. Thus, GKS is recommended after microsurgery when visible tumor can be detected on imaging studies.

Implications of very high serum prolactin levels associated with pituitary tumors

1980 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Shucart
Keyword(s):  
Cavernous Sinus ◽  
Tumor Size ◽  
Pituitary Tumors ◽  
High Serum ◽  
Serum Prolactin ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Invasive Tumor ◽  
Very High ◽  
Suprasellar Extension ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Five patients with pituitary tumors associated with unusually high serum prolactin levels are presented. Tumor size and the presence of suprasellar extension were variable, but the finding common to all five cases was invasion of the cavernous sinus. It is proposed that very high serum prolactin levels suggest an invasive tumor, perhaps, specifically, invasion into a cavernous sinus. The surgical significance of this proposition is discussed.

Transsphenoidal microsurgical removal of growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas

1982 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 634-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Baskin ◽  
James E. Boggan ◽  
Charles B. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Growth Hormone ◽  
Pituitary Adenomas ◽  
Partial Remission ◽  
Transsphenoidal Surgery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
Suprasellar Extension ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A series of 137 patients with growth hormone (GH)-secreting pituitary adenomas were treated by transsphenoidal surgery during a 10-year period. Group A comprised patients for whom this surgery was the first therapeutic intervention, and Group B included those who underwent the surgery after previous therapeutic intervention. The results were analyzed considering preoperative and postoperative endocrinological, neurological, ophthalmological, and neuroradiological data. Remission was defined as clinical response and a normal postoperative GH level, and partial remission as clinical response and postoperative reduction of the GH level by more than 50%. Any other result was considered failure. The mean follow-up period was 37.1 months; follow-up review was achieved in all the patients. Among the 102 patients in Group A, remission was achieved in 80 (78%) patients with transsphenoidal surgery alone, and in an additional 16 (16%) after postoperative irradiation (combined response rate, 94%). All failures and patients with partial remission had preoperative GH levels of more than 50 ng/ml and suprasellar extension of the tumor. There were no deaths; 8% of patients had minor surgical morbidity; 5% had new hypopituitarism postoperatively. Of patients subsequently irradiated, 71% developed hypopituitarism. Among the 35 patients in Group B, remission was achieved in 26 (74%), partial remission was obtained in two (6%), and seven (20%) were considered treatment failures. There were no deaths, and the morbidity rate was 14%; 66% of patients had hypopituitarism postoperatively. Of the eight patients who had received prior irradiation only, seven (88%) went into remission. All failures and partial responders had preoperative GH levels greater than 40 ng/ml; 56% had suprasellar extension. These results confirm the efficacy of the transsphenoidal approach for the treatment of GH-secreting pituitary adenomas.

Beta—tricalcium phosphate as a substitute for autograft in interbody fusion cages in the canine lumbar spine

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashiro Ohyama ◽  
Yoshichika Kubo ◽  
Hiroo Iwata ◽  
Waro Taki
Keyword(s):  
Lumbar Spine ◽  
Tricalcium Phosphate ◽  
Interbody Fusion ◽  
Donor Site ◽  
Posterolateral Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Spine Model ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
Fine Print

Object. An interbody fusion cage has been introduced for cervical anterior interbody fusion. Autogenetic bone is packed into the cage to increase the rate of union between adjacent vertebral bodies. Thus, donor site—related complications can still occur. In this study a synthetic ceramic, β—tricalcium phosphate (TCP), was examined as a substitute for autograft bone in a canine lumbar spine model. Methods. In 12 dogs L-1 to L-4 vertebrae were exposed via a posterolateral approach, and discectomy and placement of interbody fusion cages were performed at two intervertebral disc spaces. One cage was filled with autograft (Group A) and the other with TCP (Group B). The lumbar spine was excised at 16 weeks postsurgery, and biomechanical, microradiographic, and histological examinations were performed. Both the microradiographic and histological examinations revealed that fusion occurred in five (41.7%) of 12 operations performed in Group A and in six (50%) of 12 operations performed in Group B. The mean percentage of trabecular bone area in the cages was 54.6% in Group A and 53.8% in Group B. There were no significant intergroup differences in functional unit stiffness. Conclusions. Good histological and biomechanical results were obtained for TCP-filled interbody fusion cages. The results were comparable with those obtained using autograft-filled cages, suggesting that there is no need to harvest iliac bone or to use allo- or xenografts to increase the interlocking strength between the cage and vertebral bone to achieve anterior cervical interbody fusion.

Prevention of postoperative posterior tethering of spinal cord after resection of ependymoma

2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeo Goto ◽  
Kenji Ohata ◽  
Toshihiro Takami ◽  
Misao Nishikawa ◽  
Akimasa Nishio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Neurological Deterioration ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Spinal Ependymoma ◽  
Group A ◽  
Delayed Neurological Deterioration ◽  
Group B ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The authors evaluated an alternative method to avoid postoperative posterior tethering of the spinal cord following resection of spinal ependymomas. Methods. Twenty-five patients with spinal ependymoma underwent surgery between 1978 and 2002. There were 16 male and nine female patients whose ages at the time of surgery ranged from 14 to 64 years (mean 41.8 years). The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 279 months (mean 112.4 months). In the initial 17 patients (Group A), the procedure to prevent arachnoidal adhesion consisted of the layer-to-layer closure of three meninges and laminoplasty. In the subsequently treated eight patients (Group B), the authors performed an alternative technique that included pial suturing, dural closure with Gore-Tex membrane—assisted patch grafting, and expansive laminoplasty. In Group A, postoperative adhesion was radiologically detected in eight cases (47%), and delayed neurological deterioration secondary to posterior tethering of the cord was found in five cases. In Group B, there was no evidence of adhesive posterior tethering or delayed neurological deterioration. A significant intergroup statistical difference was demonstrated for radiologically documented posterior tethering (p < 0.05, Fisher exact test). Moreover, patients with radiologically demonstrated posterior tethering suffered a significant delayed neurological functional deterioration (p < 0.01, Fisher exact test). Conclusions. This new technique for closure of the surgical wound is effective in preventing of postoperative posterior spinal cord tethering after excision of spinal ependymoma.

A positron emission tomography study of cerebrovascular reserve before and after shunt surgery in patients with idiopathic chronic hydrocephalus

1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 605-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra M. Klinge ◽  
Georg Berding ◽  
Thomas Brinker ◽  
Wolfram H. Knapp ◽  
Madjid Samii
Keyword(s):  
Positron Emission Tomography ◽  
Emission Tomography ◽  
Chronic Hydrocephalus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cerebrovascular Reserve ◽  
Shunt Placement ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
Fine Print

Object. In this study the authors use positron emission tomography (PET) to investigate cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) in chronic hydrocephalus.Methods. Ten patients whose mean age was 67 ± 10 years (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) were compared with 10 healthy volunteers who were 25 ± 3 years of age. Global CBF and CVR were determined using 15O—H2O and PET prior to shunt placement and 7 days and 7 months thereafter. The CVR was measured using 1 g acetazolamide. Neurological status was assessed based on a score assigned according to the methods of Stein and Langfitt.Seven months after shunt placement, five patients showed clinical improvement (Group A) and five did not (Group B). The average global CBF before shunt deployment was significantly reduced in comparison with the control group (40 ± 8 compared with 61 ± 7 ml/100 ml/minute; mean ± SD, p < 0.01). In Group A the CBF values were significantly lower than in Group B (36 ± 7 compared with 44 ± 8 ml/100 ml/minute; p < 0.05). The CVR before surgery, however, was not significantly different between groups (Group A = 43 ± 21%, Group B = 37 ± 29%). After shunt placement, there was an increase in the CVR in Group A to 52 ± 37% after 7 days and to 68 ± 47% after 7 months (p < 0.05), whereas in Group B the CVR decreased to 14 ± 18% (p < 0.05) after 7 days and returned to the preoperative level (39 ± 6%) 7 months after shunt placement.Conclusions. The preliminary results indicate that a reduced baseline CBF before surgery does not indicate a poor prognosis. Baseline CBF before shunt placement and preoperative CVR are not predictive of clinical outcome. A decrease in the CVR early after shunt placement, however, is related to poor late clinical outcome, whereas early improvement in the CVR after shunt placement indicates a good prognosis.

Suboccipital and cervical chordomas: the value of aggressive treatment at first presentation of the disease

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 1070-1077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Carpentier ◽  
Marc Polivka ◽  
Alexandre Blanquet ◽  
Guillaume Lot ◽  
Bernard George
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Aggressive Treatment ◽  
Actuarial Survival ◽  
High Tendency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Log Rank Test ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Chordoma is a locally invasive tumor with a high tendency for recurrence for which radical resection is generally recommended. To assess the benefits of aggressive treatment of chordomas, the authors compared results in patients treated aggressively at the first presentation of this disease with results in patients who were similarly treated, but after recurrence. Methods. Among 36 patients with cervical chordomas who were treated at the authors' institution, 22 underwent primary aggressive treatment (Group A) and 14 were treated secondarily after tumor recurrence (Group B). Two cases were excluded from Group A because of unrelated early deaths and three from Group B because of insufficient pre- or postoperative data. Most tumors were located at the suboccipital level and only eight cases at a level below C-2. Radiotherapy and proton therapy were similarly conducted in both groups of patients. The actuarial survival rates were 80 and 65% at 5 and 10 years, respectively, in Group A patients and 50 and 0% at 5 and 10 years, respectively, in Group B patients (p = 0.049, log-rank test). The actuarial recurrence-free rates were 70 and 35% at 5 and 10 years, respectively, in Group A and 0% at 3 years in Group B (p < 0.0001, log-rank test). The numbers of recurrences per year were 0.15 in Group A and 0.62 in Group B (p > 0.05). All other parameters that were analyzed (patient age, delay before diagnosis, clinical symptoms, chondroid type of lesion, and histological features) did not prove to influence prognosis in a statistically significant manner. Conclusions. Aggressive therapy, combining as radical a resection as possible with radiotherapy, seems to improve the prognoses of suboccipital and cervical chordomas when applied at the patient's first presentation with the disease.

Tethered cord syndrome of delayed onset following repair of myelomeningocele

1988 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norihiko Tamaki ◽  
Kunio Shirataki ◽  
Noriaki Kojima ◽  
Yoshiteru Shouse ◽  
Satoshi Matsumoto
Keyword(s):  
Preoperative Evaluation ◽  
Tethered Cord ◽  
Tethered Cord Syndrome ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Mr Images ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Delayed Onset ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Nine (15%) of 60 patients with repaired myelomeningocele exhibited late deterioration of neurological function with a tethered cord syndrome. Dense adhesions at the lowest laminae and at the site of previous repair were the most common findings at surgery. Postoperatively, 71% of the patients improved. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in 29 of the 60 patients. Eight of these 29 patients exhibited a tethered cord syndrome. The MR images in all patients showed a low-lying conus fixed at the site of previous repair, irrespective of the presence or absence of a tethered cord syndrome. The MR images were classified into two groups depending upon the site of adhesions: Group A had potential sites of tethering at the ventral aspect of the last laminae and at the site of previous repair, and Group B showed the adhesion point only at the site of previous repair. Most patients with a tethered cord syndrome were found to be in Group A; conversely, most patients without the syndrome were in Group B. An enlarged low conus was seen in symptomatic patients more commonly than in those without this syndrome. It is concluded that the presence of adhesions specifically at the last laminae as well as a widened low-lying conus may be the cause of tethered cord syndrome in patients with repaired myelomeningoceles. A clear understanding of the tethering process and preoperative evaluation of potential sites of tethering, based on the MR findings, are very important for planning surgery. The release of adhesions at the lowest laminae by laminectomy appeared essential for improvement.

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