Comparison of the serum hormone levels and histological findings in pituitary adenomas.

UNLABELLED

Thirty patients with pituitary adenomas were investigated: 20 with growth hormone producing acromegaly, 7 with prolactinoma and 3 with hormonal inactive adenoma. The correlation between the serum PRL, GH, TSH, levels, their response to 200 micrograms i.v. TRH, measured before the transsphenoidal adenomectomy and the size, the light microscopic (H.E. and Mallory staining), immunocytochemical and ultrastructural (performed in 17 cases) picture of the adenomas were evaluated.

CONCLUSIONS

(a) there is no close correlation between the hormone granules detected in the pituitary adenoma cells - by light microscopic, immunocytochemical and electron microscopic methods - and the serum hormone levels, their response to TRH; (b) in hormonally active adenomas the immunocytochemical as well as the ultrastructural findings could be negative; (c) in one disease more hormones could give an immunopositive reaction; (d) in any types of investigated adenomas the TSH immunopositivity was always accompanied by PRL immunopositivity (6 cases); (e) the size and the clinical (serum) or cytological hormone activity of the adenomas were independent of one another; (f) the basal serum hormone level shows the hormonal activity of the pituitary adenoma best of all.