How is a pituitary tumor detected

In our daily life, we should pay attention to some disease knowledge and prevent the occurrence of some diseases. If we suspect that we have a pituitary tumor because of certain symptoms, we need to go to the hospital for examination and diagnosis in time. The doctor will prescribe some examination items according to our physical condition. So, how is pituitary tumor detected? Let's listen to the expert's introduction.

Imaging:

(1) Plain skull X-ray: This is a relatively primitive diagnostic method. It determines the presence of tumors and makes differential diagnosis based on changes in the sella turcica bone and calcification in the sella turcica.

(2) CT scan: It is only of diagnostic value for large pituitary tumors. Micro pituitary tumors are easily missed and cannot be used as the main tool for diagnosing pituitary tumors.

(3) MRI examination: It is the most important tool for diagnosing pituitary tumors. It can clearly determine the size, shape, location, and relationship of the tumor with surrounding structures. Even tumors with a diameter of 2-3 mm can be displayed. However, the signals of some tumors are similar to those of the surrounding normal pituitary tissues, and the two are difficult to distinguish. Therefore, a combination of clinical manifestations and endocrine examinations is needed for diagnosis.

Endocrine examination:

Since most pituitary tumors have the function of secreting hormones, when clinical manifestations are not obvious and imaging cannot indicate the presence of a tumor, the hormones of the pituitary tumor have already changed. Some pituitary tumor cases can be diagnosed simply by endocrine testing, such as ACTH cell adenoma, in most cases the tumor cannot be seen from imaging. Rare displaced pituitary tumors are located in the chest cavity, abdominal cavity and other parts, and are mainly diagnosed based on endocrine.

Pathological examination:

This is the most reliable diagnostic method with a very low misdiagnosis rate. Pathological diagnosis is divided into ordinary slices HE staining light microscopy observation. This operation can only be used for gross diagnosis and cannot distinguish the type of tumor. Immunohistochemical staining. Diagnosis is based on the hormones contained in tumor cells. It has high sensitivity, but the misdiagnosis rate is also high. Electron perspective microscope observation can distinguish the tumor type based on the different characteristics of tumor cells. It is rarely used in clinical practice.

In short, the diagnosis of pituitary tumors uses MRI as the gold indicator and endocrine as the silver indicator. In cases that are difficult to diagnose, a comprehensive analysis needs to be combined with the above content. The early symptoms of pituitary tumor patients are often mild and easy to be missed or misdiagnosed. For example, non-functional pituitary tumors in the elderly lead to hypopituitarism and decreased vision; pituitary adenomas in children and adolescents cause decreased vision or growth retardation; male prolactin adenomas cause impotence; female prolactin adenomas cause menstrual disorders, etc.