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The diagnostic importance of prolactin subgroups in patients with stalk mass.

Bagdatoglu C, Ay A, Bagdatoglu OT, Ozer C, Polat G, Koksel T

Department of Neurosurgery, Mersin University Medical School, Mersin, Turkey. cbagd@yahoo.com

In some situations, the identification of subgroups of patients with elevated serum prolactin (PRL) levels on the basis of different forms of PRL present in the blood, may be complementary to generally accepted and performed biochemical and radiological examinations in addition to a thorough clinical evaluation. Further analysis of elevated PRL subgroups is advisable especially for cases lacking the signs of amenorrhea and galactorea harboring a space occupying lesion in the sellar region. We present the case report of a patient with a high ratio of macroprolactin with regard to total serum PRL harboring a radiologically confirmed stalk mass lesion. An appropriate treatment plan for this patient is discussed.

Published 13 January 2005 in Acta Neurochir (Wien), 147(2): 209-10.
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