What are other pituitary diseases that can be mistaken for pituitary tumors?
Pituitary Cyst : Any endocrine gland may develop a cyst. This occurs commonly in the ovaries and thyroid gland; a cyst in the pituitary gland is benign (not cancer). Many pituitary cysts cause no symptoms and don’t grow or enlarge. Only when they do, do they become symptomatic. They can cause headache and/or rarely interfere with normal pituitary function. If the cyst is large, loss of vision may occur. The treatment for this problem depends upon the size of the cyst and its proximity to the optic chiasm. Often no treatment is necessary, but when necessary it is removed by surgery. There are no medical treatments for this problem. Inflammatory Problems: A number of inflammatory problems can lead to either enlargement of the pituitary gland or infiltration into the pituitary or the pituitary stalk or the gland above the pituitary (Hypothalamus).
Pituitary Cyst : Any endocrine gland may develop a cyst. This occurs commonly in the ovaries and thyroid gland; a cyst in the pituitary gland is benign (not cancer). Many pituitary cysts cause no symptoms and don’t grow or enlarge. Only when they do, do they become symptomatic. They can cause headache and/or rarely interfere with normal pituitary function. If the cyst is large, loss of vision may occur. The treatment for this problem depends upon the size of the cyst and its proximity to the optic chiasm. Often no treatment is necessary, but when necessary it is removed by surgery. There are no medical treatments for this problem. Inflammatory Problems: A number of inflammatory problems can lead to either enlargement of the pituitary gland or infiltration into the pituitary or the pituitary stalk or the gland above the pituitary (Hypothalamus).
Pituitary Cyst : Any endocrine gland may develop a cyst. This occurs commonly in the ovaries and thyroid gland; a cyst in the pituitary gland is benign (not cancer). Many pituitary cysts cause no symptoms and don’t grow or enlarge. Only when they do, do they become symptomatic. They can cause headache and/or rarely interfere with normal pituitary function. If the cyst is large, loss of vision may occur. The treatment for this problem depends upon the size of the cyst and its proximity to the optic chiasm. Often no treatment is necessary, but when necessary it is removed by surgery. There are no medical treatments for this problem. Inflammatory Problems: A number of inflammatory problems can lead to either enlargement of the pituitary gland or infiltration into the pituitary or the pituitary stalk or the gland above the pituitary (Hypothalamus). Lymphocytic hypophysitis is an inflammatory process (rather than a tumor) that can enlarge the pituitary gland and cause pituitary hormone insu
