Short report
Galactorrhoea and pituitary mass: a typical
prolactinoma?
Michael Brändle, Christoph Schmid
Division
of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine,
University Hospital Zürich, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland
Correspondence to: Dr Brändle (e-mail: ndobraem{at}usz.unizh.ch)
Submitted 27 April
1999;
Accepted 27 September 1999
A 21 year old woman presenting with galactorrhoea,
hyperprolactinaemia, and a pituitary mass on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is described who was referred to us before planned pituitary surgery. Although a thorough history did not suggest hypothyroidism, laboratory studies revealed profound primary hypothyroidism. At that
time, pituitary MRI showed homogeneous enlargement of the pituitary
gland consistent with pituitary hyperplasia due to primary hypothyroidism. With thyroid hormone replacement therapy the
galactorrhoea resolved, concentrations of prolactin and thyroid
hormones returned to normal, and the pituitary shrunk to normal size
within two months. This case illustrates that primary hypothyroidism
can present only with galactorrhoea and pituitary mass, and should therefore be considered in the differential diagnosis of
hyperprolactinaemia and pituitary enlargement.
Keywords: primary hypothyroidism; galactorrhoea; pituitary mass
© 2000 by The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
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