Tests of prolactin secretion in diagnosis of prolactinomas

Prolactin-secreting tumours of the pituitary were identified and treated by transsphenoidal microsurgery in fourteen infertile females with hyperprolactinaemia. Resting prolactin levels were 590--9000 mU/1 (mean 3400). In seven patients, tomography of the pituitary fossa was normal and resting prolactin levels were 590-6000 mU/1 (mean 3400). In these patients the pre-operative diagnosis prolactinoma in these patients was made by demonstrating loss of the normal circadian prolactin profile and impaired prolactin response to intravenous thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (T.R.H.) and metoclopramide stimulation. Prolactin response to the acute oral administration of L-dopa and bromocriptine was of less diagnostic value. Preoperative assessment of anterior pituitary function identified abnormalities other than hyperprolactinaemia in four patients (28%). Post-operative assessment indicated that microsurgery was curative in twelve patients (86%), selective in all, and without significant side-effect. It is concluded that dynamic tests such as T.R.H. and metoclopramide stimulation have considerable value in identifying hyperprolactinaemic patients with prolactin-secreting adenomas, particularly those which are radiologically occult.