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