| Abstract: |
Pituitary adenomas that secrete gonadotropins are generally believed to arise spontaneously rather than as a response to chronic primary gonadal failure. However, two women who were found to have gonadotroph adenomas several years after ovarian ablation have been reported. We describe a middle-aged man who developed bitemporal hemianopia and was found to have a large pituitary tumor 35 yr after castration. He had never received any replacement therapy. The tumor was considered to be a primary gonadotroph adenoma, rather than secondary gonadotroph hyperplasia, on the basis of its secretory capabilities, its reticulin patterns, and its specific immunostaining for human FSHβ, human LHβ, and α-subunit. Furthermore, the tumor did not decrease appreciably in size after 12 months of testosterone treatment, although plasma gonadotropin levels decreased. Unless the association of primary gonadal failure with a gonadotroph adenoma was coincidental, it suggests that some human gonadotroph adenomas may be secondary to failure of the gonads. © 1988 by The Endocrine Society. |
