Hormonal and morphological features of the pituitary adenomas in acromegaly

Abstract

Clinical and morphological characteristics of 27 patients with clinical symptoms of acromegaly (20 females, 7 males, mean age 40.2 ± 10.6 years), who transsphenoidal adenomectomy in 1997 to 2001 were investigated. The histological, immunohistochemical, electron microscopy studies of removed adenomas were carried out. 12 cases (11 females, 1 male) were immunopositive with anti-STH antibodies, 3 of whom had hyperprolactinemia. Detected in 14 (51,8%) patients (8 females, 6 males) positive immunoperoxidase response to, antibodies to 2 hormones - STH and PRL was proved, in 4 cases by the electron microies. Hyperprolactinemia was determined in half of these cases, i. e. there was diversity of hormonal and immunohistochemical data. At was revealed also that in females with the STH/PRL positive clinical syndrome disorders of menses were significantly more frequent (p < 0,05), among all the patients there was hyperprolactinemia in higher percent in comparison with STH-positive group. There was no correlation between the activity of immunoperoxidase response in adenoma cells and degree of elevation of the blood serum hormone’s levels. In patients with acromegaly combined with hyperprolactinemia the type of pituitary adenoma can be established just after implementing immunohistochemical study and/or electron microscopy.