Ten year follow up of microprolactinoma treated by transsphenoidal surgery
BMJ 1994; 309 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.309.6966.1409 (Published 26 November 1994) Cite this as: BMJ 1994;309:1409
- John A Thomson, readera,
- David L Davies, senior lecturerb,
- Eon H McLaren, consultantc,
- Graham M Teasdale, professor of neurosurgeryd
- a Department of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow G31 2ER
- b Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Western Infirmary, Glasgow G11 6NT
- c Department of Medicine, Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow G21 3UW
- d Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow G51 4TF
- Correspondence to: Dr Thomson.
- Accepted 7 September 1994
In 1985 we published the results of transsphenoidal surgery in 61 women with microprolactinoma.1 Early results were satisfactory in over 80% of patients. Only two out of 21 patients with a normal postoperative prolactin concentration had a relapse after five years. This paper documents the 10 year outcome.
Patients, methods, and results
We tried to obtain information about patients who were not currently being followed up in Glasgow by contacting their general practitioner, referring specialist, and the patients themselves, achieving a 10 year follow up in 45 of the 61 patients (74%). We defined cure of hyperprolactinaemia as a plasma prolactin concentration within the reference range (60-360 mU/l), operative failure as a persistently raised prolactin concentration, and recurrence as a sustained increase in prolactin concentration after a normal value had been achieved. In four patients prolactin concentration was variably raised during follow up. …