Size and erosive features of the sella turcica in acromegaly as predictors of therapeutic response to supervoltage irradiation

• Published in: The American journal of medicine Vol. 74; no. 1; pp. 69 - 72
• Main Authors: Dons, Robert F., Rieth, Kenneth G., Gorden, Phillip, Roth, Jesse
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 1983; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acromegaly - blood; Acromegaly - pathology; Acromegaly - radiotherapy; Biological and medical sciences; Endocrinopathies; Growth Hormone - blood; Humans; Hypothalamus. Hypophysis. Epiphysis (diseases); Malignant tumors; Medical sciences; Pituitary Gland - diagnostic imaging; Pituitary Irradiation; Pituitary Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Prognosis; Radiography; Radiotherapy Dosage; Sella Turcica - pathology; Human; Hypophysis pathology
• ISSN: 0002-9343; 1555-7162
• DOI: 10.1016/0002-9343(83)91120-8

Basal growth hormone levels and the sella turcica of patients with acromegaly were evaluated. Fifty of these patients were followed up, with fasting growth hormone levels determined at several intervals within 10 or more years after supervoltage pituitary irradiation. Prior to therapy, basal growth hormone levels were positively correlated with an estimate of tumor size, as reflected by sella abnormalities. Sella abnormality criteria, developed by Hardy et al., were used as the correlating factor. The percentage of fall in growth hormone levels after radiotherapy was indistinguishable in these patients, regardless of sella grade. However, since the larger, more erosive, tumors were associated with higher pre-therapy plasma growth hormone levels, the median growth hormone levels were higher at various intervals after treatment of this group. We suggest that the size and erosive features of the bony sella offer a crude, but possibly useful, predictor of response to supervoltage irradiation in acromegaly.