Endocrine + Bone Flashcards
T151 What are the characteristics of the pituitary gland?
Small, bean-shaped structures located at the base of the brain, on the sella turcica.
Connected to the hypothalamus by a stalk composed of axons and a rich venous plexus. Plays a central role in the regulation of other endocrine glands.
Describe the components of the pituitary gland
Composed of two functionally and morphologically distinct components: the anterior pituitary and the neurohypophysis.
What is the anterior pituitary composed of?
Composed of epithelial cells derived embryologically from the developing oral cavity.
In routine histologic sections, it shows an array of cells containing basophilic cytoplasm, eosinophilic cytoplasm, or poorly staining (chromophobic) cytoplasm, related to the presence of various trophic polypeptide hormones within their cytoplasm.
What hormones are secreted by the acidophils and basophils in the anterior pituitary?
Acidophils secrete growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL), while basophils secrete corticotrophin (ACTH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and gonadotrophins follicle-stimulating hormone-luteinizing hormone (FSH and LH).
What are the characteristics of the neurohypophysis?
Resembles neural tissue, with glial cells, nerve fibers, nerve endings, and intra-axonal neurosecretory granules. It stores and releases hormones such as vasopressin (ADH) and oxytocin, produced in the hypothalamus.
How can diseases of the pituitary be categorized?
They can be divided into those that primarily affect the anterior lobe and those that primarily affect the posterior lobe.
What is hyperpituitarism, and what causes it?
Hyperpituitarism arises from excessive secretion of trophic hormones.
It most often results from an anterior pituitary adenoma but may also be caused by other pituitary and extrapituitary lesions.
Causes include adenoma arising in the anterior lobe (most common), hyperplasia and carcinoma of the anterior lobe, secretion of hormones by extrapituitary tumors, and hypothalamic disorders.
What are the potential causes of hyperpituitarism?
a. Adenoma arising in the anterior lobe (most common)
b. Hyperplasia and carcinoma of the anterior lobe
c. Secretion of hormones by extrapituitary tumors
d. Hypothalamic disorders
What are pituitary adenomas?
Benign tumors of the anterior lobe found in adults aged 30-50 years old.
Usually composed of a single cell type and produce a single predominant hormone, although some may secrete two hormones.
Plurihormonal adenomas are rare.
How do pituitary adenomas present clinically?
They may be functional (hormone-producing with clinical signs),
nonfunctional (clinically silent), or hormone-negative.
Nonfunctional and hormone-negative adenomas are likely to come to clinical attention at a later stage and may cause hypopituitarism due to compression of normal pituitary tissue.
Functional tumors present with features based on the type of hormone produced.
What are the size classifications of pituitary adenomas?
Most adenomas occur as isolated lesions. Microadenomas are less than 1 cm, while macroadenomas exceed 1 cm in diameter.
What percentage of pituitary adenomas are associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN)?
Most cases are sporadic, but approximately 3% of adenomas are associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia.
What are the common mutations associated with the pathogenesis of pituitary adenomas?
One of the most common mutations is constitutive activation of a stimulatory G protein, resulting in persistent generation of cAMP and unchecked cellular proliferation.
Pituitary adenomas that arise in the context of familial MEN-1 syndrome harbor mutations from the MEN-1 gene, interfering with checkpoint regulation on p27 and appear at a younger age.
Other abnormalities include P53 mutation, associated with aggressive tumors.
Describe the morphology of pituitary adenomas
Usually well-circumscribed, soft small lesions.
Small tumors are confined by the sella turcica, while larger lesions typically extend into the suprasellar region, compressing the optic chiasm and adjacent structures.
Invasive adenomas, in 30% of cases, are grossly nonencapsulated and infiltrate adjacent bone, dura, and uncommonly, the brain.
Microscopically, they are marked by cellular monomorphism and absence of a reticulin network.
Composed of relatively uniform, polygonal cells arrayed in sheets, cords, or papillae with very little mitotic activity.
Cytoplasm may be acidophilic, basophilic, or chromophobic depending on the type of secretory product. Supportive connective tissue-reticulin is relatively absent, accounting for the soft consistency.
What is a prolactinoma
It is the most common type of pituitary adenoma characterized by hyperprolactinemia due to lactotroph cells secreting prolactin.
Hyperprolactinemia may also be caused by conditions such as pregnancy, high-dose estrogen therapy/dopamine-inhibiting drugs, renal failure, hypothalamic lesions, or the stalk effect.
What are the clinical features of prolactinomas?
- Galactorrhea, amenorrhea, and infertility
- Decreased libido and impotence
- Manifestation of hyperprolactinemia is more obvious in postmenopausal women.
What is a growth hormone-producing adenoma?
It is a type of pituitary adenoma where somatotroph cells produce growth hormone (GH), making it the second most common type of functional pituitary adenoma. Clinical manifestations may be subtle, allowing the adenoma to grow significantly before coming to clinical attention.
Describe the microscopic features of growthhormone-producing adenomas
Densely or sparsely granulated cells containing GH within the cytoplasm.
What laboratory findings are associated with growth hormone-producing adenomas?
Elevated levels of GH and somatomedin C (IGF-1).
What are the clinical manifestations of GH excess in children and adolescents?
Giantism, characterized by tall stature and long extremities, occurring prior to the fusion of growth plates.
What are the clinical manifestations of GH excess in adults?
Acromegaly, characterized by a prominent jaw, flat broad forehead,
enlarged hands and feet, and enlargement of internal organs. Additionally, GH excess is associated with other disturbances such as abnormal glucose metabolism and diabetes mellitus, generalized muscle weakness, hypertension, arthritis, osteoporosis, and congestive heart failure.
What are corticotroph cell adenomas?
They are usually small at the time of diagnosis and stain positive with PAS due to the accumulation of glycosylated ACTH proteins.
ACTH is synthesized as part of a larger prohormone that includes melanocyte-stimulating hormone, which may result in hyperpigmentation.
They may be clinically silent or cause hypercortisolism (Cushing syndrome) due to their stimulatory effect on the adrenal cortex.
Cushing disease occurs when hypercortisolism is caused by excessive production by the pituitary gland.
Nelson syndrome may develop after surgical removal of adrenal glands for the treatment of Cushing syndrome, due to the loss of the inhibitory effect of adrenal corticoids on a preexisting corticotroph microadenoma.
What are the characteristics of other anterior pituitary neoplasms?
Gonadotroph (LH and FSH-producing hormones) adenomas are difficult to recognize as they secrete hormones inefficiently and variably, and their secretory products do not cause a recognizable clinical syndrome.
They are most frequent in middle age when the tumor becomes large enough to cause neurological symptoms such as impaired vision, headaches, and diplopia.
FSH is usually the predominant secreted hormone.
Thyrotroph (TSH-producing hormone) adenomas are a rare cause of hyperthyroidism. Pituitary carcinoma is rare and characterized by local extension beyond the sella turcica and always distant metastases.
T152 What is hypopituitarism?
Insufficient production of hormones by the anterior pituitary gland. Symptoms arise when more than 75% of pituitary parenchyma is lost.