Symptoms of pituitary tumors in children

Pituitary tumor is a relatively serious disease. We know that the pituitary gland is a very important organ in the endocrine system and can promote the normal development of children. If a child has a pituitary tumor, it may cause growth retardation or hyperactivity in the child, which will be significantly different from normal children and have a serious impact on the child's life. Parents should be prepared. So, what are the symptoms of pituitary tumors in children?

1. Clinical manifestations

1. Hormone secretion abnormalities

Syndromes of excessive hormone secretion, such as acromegaly caused by excessive growth hormone; and syndromes of insufficient hormone secretion. When the non-functioning tumor grows and the normal pituitary tissue is destroyed, amenorrhea occurs due to the decrease in gonadotropin secretion. Infertility or impotence often occurs first and is most common.

2. Tumor compresses the tissues around the pituitary gland

(1) Nerve fiber irritation syndrome presents as persistent headache.

(2) Patients with compression of the optic nerve, chiasm and optic nerve bundle experience decreased vision, visual field defects and fundus changes; other compression syndromes.

3. Pituitary stroke.

4. Other manifestations of anterior pituitary hypofunction.

2. Inspection

1. Cranial X-ray

Anteroposterior and lateral radiographs show that the sella turcica is enlarged and deformed, the sella turcica floor is sunken, there is a double floor, the dorsum of the sella turcica is thinned and stands up backwards, and the bone is often absorbed and destroyed;

2. CT scan

The pituitary gland is denser than brain tissue;

3. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

The resolution of pituitary soft tissue is better than that of CT, which can make up for the shortcomings of CT;

4. Pneumoencephalography and cerebral angiography.

3. Diagnosis

1. Clinical manifestations

The patient's age, gender, symptoms after illness, and physical changes.

2. Endocrine examination

Since most pituitary tumors have the function of secreting hormones, when the clinical manifestations are not obvious and imaging cannot indicate the presence of a tumor, the hormones of the pituitary tumor have already changed. Some cases of pituitary tumors can be diagnosed simply by endocrine testing.

3. Imaging

(1) Skull X-ray: This is a relatively primitive diagnostic method. It determines the presence of tumors and makes differential diagnosis based on changes in the sella turcica bone and calcification in the sella turcica.

(2) CT scan is only of diagnostic value for large pituitary tumors; small pituitary tumors are easily missed. It cannot be used as the primary tool for diagnosing pituitary tumors.

(3) MRI examination is the most important tool for diagnosing pituitary tumors, which can clearly show the size, shape, location, and relationship of the tumor with surrounding structures. Even tumors as small as 2 to 3 mm in diameter can be displayed. However, the signals of some tumors are similar to those of the surrounding normal pituitary tissue, and the two are difficult to distinguish. Diagnosis requires a combination of clinical manifestations and endocrine examinations.

4. Pathological examination

This is the most reliable diagnostic method with a very low misdiagnosis rate. Pathological diagnosis is based on ordinary section HE staining and light microscopic observation, which can only be used as a gross diagnosis and cannot distinguish the type of tumor. Immunohistochemical staining is used to make a diagnosis based on the hormones contained in tumor cells. It has a high sensitivity, but also a high misdiagnosis rate. Electron microscopy observation can distinguish tumor types based on the different characteristics of tumor cells, but it is rarely used in clinical practice.