Abstract
Pituitary adenomas that secrete functional thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH or thyrotropin) are uncommonly encountered lesions, comprising approximately 1–2 % of all pituitary adenomas.
TSH adenomas can result in the classic symptoms and signs associated with hyperthyroidism, including weight loss, tachycardia, palpitations, hypertension, intolerance to heat, tremor, loss of libido, nausea/vomiting, and diarrhea.
They have also been associated with Graves’ disease.
TSH oversecretion with hyperthyroidism occurs in approximately 40–80 % of tumors; the remainder are clinically silent.
TSH adenomas also may occur in the setting of primary hypothyroidism with thyrotroph hyperplasia and neoplastic conversion.
In the past, TSH adenomas often have been misdiagnosed as primary hyperthyroidism, with a significant proportion of patients undergoing thyroid ablation procedures prior to the diagnosis of a pituitary adenoma.
Some TSH adenomas (plurihormonal pituitary adenomas) may also secrete other functional hormones.
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Zada, G., Lopes, M.B.S., Mukundan, S., Laws, E. (2016). Thyrotroph (TSH) Adenomas. In: Zada, G., Lopes, M., Mukundan Jr., S., Laws Jr., E. (eds) Atlas of Sellar and Parasellar Lesions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22855-6_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22855-6_15
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