The main difference between pituitary tumors and pituitary hyperplasia: Pituitary tumors are mostly tumors arising from the epithelial cells of the anterior and posterior pituitary lobes and the craniopharyngeal canal. Patients living with significant symptoms account for approximately 10% of the number of patients with intracranial tumors. The incidence of pituitary tumors is slightly higher in males than in females. Pituitary tumors mostly occur in youth and have varying degrees of impact on patients’ growth and development, normal learning and life. Clinical tests mostly show abnormal hormone secretion, tumor compression of peripituitary tissue, pituitary stroke and other anterior pituitary hypoplasia.
Pituitary hyperplasia, on the other hand, refers to changes in the sequence and shape of the normal pituitary cells, increase in the number of specific cells and hypertrophy, etc.
Pituitary tumors can cause abnormal pituitary function and hormonal disorders. Therefore, early treatment is necessary. The goals of pituitary tumor treatment: to inhibit the autonomic hormone secretion of the tumor, to remove the tumor to the maximum extent, to maintain normal pituitary function, to reduce the impact of the tumor on vision, to prevent the tumor from recurring, and to prevent and deal with complications.
Pituitary hyperplasia is mostly physiological. It is mostly seen in women during pregnancy to breastfeeding, and the hyperplasia gradually returns to normal after weaning. However, in some women, the hyperplastic pituitary tissue does not recover for a longer period of time and shows persistent lactation, irregular menstruation, mild increase in blood prolactin, and an increase in pituitary volume or limited increase in MRI. Its characteristics are: 1) normal sexual ability; 2) mildly increased PRL with a wide fluctuation range; 3) no clear tumor can be seen on MRI, and the majority of pituitary hyperplasia patients can return to normal naturally without any treatment.