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Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas

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Atlas of Sellar and Parasellar Lesions

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Abstract

Nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) are those that do not produce any functional pituitary hormones.

They comprise 25–50 % of all surgically resected pituitary tumors and are the sellar tumors that are most frequently surgically resected.

Because they do not secrete active hormones, NFPAs are more likely to present secondary to features of mass effect on surrounding structures. For this reason, they are typically larger than functional adenomas at the time of diagnosis.

Presenting symptoms often include headache, visual field deficits, decreased libido, fatigue, and other features of hypopituitarism.

The most frequent hormonal abnormalities associated with NFPAs are hypogonadism and hyperprolactinemia, followed by growth hormone deficiency.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1200 N State Street, #3300, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA

    Gabriel Zada MD, MS

  2. Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), University of Virginia School of Medicine, 1215 Lee Street, Room 3060–HEP, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA

    M. Beatriz S. Lopes MD, PhD

  3. Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Srinivasan Mukundan Jr PhD, MD

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 15 Francis Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Edward Laws Jr. MD

Authors
  1. Gabriel Zada MD, MS
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  2. M. Beatriz S. Lopes MD, PhD
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  3. Srinivasan Mukundan Jr PhD, MD
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  4. Edward Laws Jr. MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gabriel Zada MD, MS .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Southern California, LOS ANGELES, California, USA

    Gabriel Zada

  2. Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, USA

    M. Beatriz S. Lopes

  3. Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA

    Srinivasan Mukundan Jr.

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA

    Edward R. Laws Jr.

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Zada, G., Lopes, M.B.S., Mukundan, S., Laws, E. (2016). Nonfunctioning Pituitary 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_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22855-6_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-22854-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-22855-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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