Normal Pituitary Hypertrophy as a Frequent Cause of Pituitary Incidentaloma: A Follow-Up Study

Philippe Chanson, France Daujat, Jacques Young, Angela Bellucci, Michèle Kujas, Dominique Doyon, Gilbert Schaison
2001 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism  
Enlargement of the pituitary gland is a frequent cause of incidentaloma and of referrals to endocrinologists for hormonal evaluation and therapeutic advice. In neuroradiological series, 25-50% of healthy women who are 18 -35 yr old have a convex superior pituitary contour, but pituitary height exceeds 9 mm in less than 0.5% of cases. This study was performed to provide thorough clinical and hormonal data and long-term endocrinological and imaging follow-up data on subjects with incidentally
more » ... overed pituitary hypertrophy (height Ͼ 9 mm). Seven eugonadal nulliparous women, 15-27 yr old, referred between 1989 and 1998 with incidentally diagnosed pituitary gland enlargement (height Ͼ 9 mm) and a suspected pituitary tumor, were studied. At presentation and at yearly intervals, PRL plasma levels and corticotropic, somatotropic, and thyrotropic pituitary function were measured; and pituitary dimensions and signal on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), before and after iv gadolinium-diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid injection, were assessed. PRL plasma levels were normal; and corticotropic, somatotropic, and thyrotropic pituitary function was considered normal in all cases. In all the women, the upper boundary of the pituitary was convex, on
doi:10.1210/jcem.86.7.7649 pmid:11443160 fatcat:oaeaypy6yndntaxn2av4o63aui