A 50-year-old man arrives at the office after having a growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma transsphenoidally removed. The patient was diagnosed with acromegaly three months ago. A 14-mm sellar mass pressing on the optic chiasm and extending into the right cavernous sinus was discovered on MRI of the pituitary. Because of the extension into the right cavernous sinus, the surgeon was only able to partially resect the pituitary mass. Acromegaly will be treated medically with octreotide. Which of the following changes are likely to occur following octreotide treatment in this patient?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Acromegaly is typically treated with resection of the somatotroph pituitary adenoma, but patients with residual tumor may require additional medical therapy. Octreotide is a somatostatin analogue with a long half-life that inhibits growth hormone secretion and, as a result, insulin-like growth factor-1 release. In many patients, it also reduces the size of the residual adenoma.

A 50-Year-Old Man Arrives at the Office After Having a Growth