How to detect pituitary tumors and what tests should be done

Because pituitary tumors can cause a variety of complications, when looking for the causes of these diseases, pituitary tumors are often considered as the cause and a comprehensive examination is conducted. Its clinical examination generally includes endocrine examinations and some imaging examinations. So, how to detect pituitary tumors and what examinations are needed? Let's take a look.

The examination items for pituitary tumors are as follows:

1. Diagnose pituitary tumors through clinical manifestations: The patient's discomfort symptoms and physical changes after the disease are the most basic data for diagnosis. Some subtle manifestations may serve as important basis for diagnosis and differential diagnosis.

2. Pathological examination for pituitary tumors: This is a reliable diagnostic method with a very low misdiagnosis rate. Pathological diagnosis includes ordinary section HE staining light microscopy observation, immunohistochemical staining, electron fluoroscopy observation, etc.

3. Endocrine examination to diagnose pituitary tumors: Since most pituitary tumors have the function of secreting hormones, when the clinical manifestations are not obvious and imaging cannot indicate the presence of a tumor, the hormones of the pituitary tumor have already changed. Some cases of pituitary tumors can be diagnosed simply by endocrine testing. For example, in most cases of ACTH cell adenoma, 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.

4. Imaging examination for diagnosis of pituitary tumors:

(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 useful for diagnosing large pituitary tumors, but it is easy to miss small pituitary tumors. It 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 show the size, shape, location, and relationship of the tumor with the surrounding tissues. 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. The two are difficult to distinguish, and a combination of clinical manifestations and endocrine examinations is required for diagnosis.

The above is an introduction on how to detect pituitary tumors and what examinations to do. I hope it will be helpful to you.