Abstract
Nineteen patients thought to have Cushing's disease were treated by transsphenoidal microsurgery; the type of operation performed depended upon the findings in the individual patient. Seventeen patients remitted. Failures occurred in a patient with an invasive macroadenoma and in a patient who was subsequently found to have a thymic carcinoid tumour secreting ACTH. One patient who remitted suffered a recurrence during pregnancy, 30 months after operation. The ten patients (Group I) who had a selective removal of a microadenoma or a limited resection of the gland were often GH deficient, but seven regained cortisol reserve and all ten regained normal pituitary-thyroid and pituitary-gonadal responses. By contrast abnormalities of pituitary function were common in nine patients who had a radical or total hypophysectomy. We conclude that transsphenoidal microsurgery is the best treatment for Cushing's disease and that, when feasible, a selective microadenomectomy is the most appropriate operation.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
