title: Pituitary adenomas in the old-aged.
abstract: From 1986 to 1996, 187 patients with pituitary adenoma were diagnosed and received surgery at Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital. Of which, 29 patients older than 60 years were retrospectively studied. Their initial clinical symptoms, pathological findings, immunoperoxidase staining, electronic microscopic findings and hormone levels were retrospectively recorded. We found that the old patients more often suffered from the neurological deficit such as headache and visual problems rather than endocrine of the tumors cells are compared, and fewer cells and nuclei are found in the older group than that in the younger group. The secretary granules in functioning tumors especially prolactinomas in old-aged patients are larger than those in the young patients. The tumor cells in the old-aged patients have fewer subcellular organelles and secretary granules but have large secretary granules. It is concluded that: (1) transsphenoidal surgery is feasible and safe in this age group; (2) plurihormonal tumors occur more frequently in old-age than young patients; (3) clinically endocrine-inactive pituitary adenomas occur more often in old-aged; (4) pituitary adenomas in old-aged cause neurological deficit more frequently than endocrine disturbance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: C Z
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Howng
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D011388:Prolactin