Function of the pituitary gland and the problems caused by pituitary adenomas
Dr. Fuminari Komatsu website; https://www.drkomatsu.com/
Department of Neurosurgery
Institute of Neurosciences Kolkata
185/1 A.J.C. Bose Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700017, India
http://www.neurokolkata.org/
Email: info@neurokolkata.org
The pituitary gland is a small gland located at the base of the brain. It secretes various hormones that control many of the body’s function according to signals from the brain. Pituitary adenomas arise from the pituitary gland and usually cause two major problems, visual impairment and endocrine abnormalities. The first problem is visual impairment. The pituitary gland is situated in a bony depression and flanked by the carotid arteries bilaterally. The optic nerves that carry visual signals run just above the pituitary gland. As the pituitary adenoma increases in size, the tumor grows upwards, compressing the optic nerves and causing visual impairment. The second problem is endocrine abnormalities, and it is related to the type of pituitary adenoma. A pituitary adenoma that does not secrete any hormones is called a non-functioning pituitary adenoma. As the tumor increases in size, secretion of hormones decreases. On the other hand, a pituitary adenoma that overproduces a specific hormone is called a functioning adenoma. The symptoms depend on which type of hormone is overproduced. Medical treatment is effective for some pituitary tumors, but surgery is generally required, and endoscopic endonasal surgery is performed.
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