investigations

Last reviewed 01/2018

Neurological:

• skull radiology - large tumours may cause expansion or 'ballooning' of the pituitary fossa, and/or erosion of the floor
• CT - demonstrates tumour filling the pituitary fossa and expanding into the suprasellar region; use contrast enhancement
• MRI - most informative investigation for large tumours; no better than CT for small tumours
• angiography or MRI - to check for aneurysms if considering trans-sphenoidal surgical decompression

Endocrine:

• endocrine undersecretion - combined pituitary stimulation test
• endocrine oversecretion - perform appropriate hormone tests