Alterations in testicular structure and function in organic disease of the pituitary.

Abstract

ASTUDY was made of the gross and microscopic morphology of the testes in 20 patients with organic pituitary disease of from one to twentyfour years' duration. The group ranged in age from 16 to 67 years, and included cases of cystic and solid craniopharyngiomas, eosinophil and chromophobe adenomas, cases of destruction of the pituitary by infiltrating extra-pituitary tumors and 1 case of pituitary atrophy following surgical trauma. METHODS Urinary gonadotropins (follicle-stimulating hormone, FSH) were measured by the method of Klinefelter, Albright and Griswold (1). The normal range in adult males is between 13 and 105 mouse units per twenty-four hours. Excretion of 17-ketosteroids was measured by the technic of Bowman (2). The normal range for men is 5 to 15 mg. per twenty-four hours. The water excretion test of Robinson, Power and Kepler (3) provides an index of adrenal cortical function. Normal values range upward from an index of 25.