[Determination of 6 pituitary hormones in the cerebrospinal fluid. Control subjects, prolactin adenomas, empty sella syndrome and hypothalamic disorders (author's transl)].

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum concentrations of TSH, ACTH, FSH, LH, GH and PRL were measured simultaneously in 34 subjects divided into 3 groups: I-12 normal subjects (6 males and 6 females); II-12 prolactin adenomas (3 males and 9 females); III-5 empty sella syndromes, 3 hypothalamic disorders, 1 chromophobe adenoma, 1 pituitary dwarfism. It is concluded that: 1) pituitary hormones are the normal constituents of CSF but the level can be undetectable and in any case lower than the serum level. 2) there is a positive correlation between serum and CSF concentration of PRL when serum PRL is higher than 20 ng/ml, indicating that the CSF level is influenced by serum level. 3) in prolactin adenomas, only prolactin is elevated in the CSF. 4) there is no correlation between the high level of CSF-PRL and a suprasellar extension of the adenoma.