Acromegaly treatment and consultation norms

  1. Diagnostic and treatment process: (1) Patients should first be diagnosed qualitatively at the first visit: serum random GH, OGTT GH and IGF-1 testing should be performed, along with localization diagnosis (MRI or CT of the saddle area). A comprehensive evaluation of pituitary function [blood PRL, FSH, LH, epinephrine, ACTH, cortisol, TSH, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), etc.] should also be performed, along with an evaluation of complications.  (2) Individualized treatment plan (surgery, medication or radiotherapy) after comprehensive evaluation: (3) Follow-up: Periodic follow-up should be performed every 3-6 months after treatment to re-evaluate pituitary function and to do saddle imaging if necessary. Lifelong follow-up should be done regardless of whether the disease is well controlled or not. It is recommended to check the pituitary gland once a year to adjust the treatment plan and management of related complications when appropriate. Complications of pituitary GH adenoma can be caused by local compression of the tumor, high serum GH and IGF-1 levels, and decreased secretion of other pituitary hormones. In order to reduce the mortality rate due to cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and malignant tumors, risk factors should be actively controlled and early screening should be performed to standardize the management of major limb complications.  2. Postoperative monitoring and long-term follow-up: (1) Blood GH will be measured 1 day after surgery and at discharge. (2) When patients are discharged from the hospital, health education will be emphasized, and the importance of long-term follow-up will be instructed to control their disease and improve the quality of survival, and follow-up cards will be given to inform the follow-up process. Patients will receive follow-up questionnaires every year, and the follow-up physician will be informed of any change in address or telephone number.  (3) Pituitary hormone testing will be performed at weeks 6 to 12 postoperatively to assess pituitary function and the need for hormone replacement therapy, and patients with complications will be followed up with appropriate tests.  (4) OGTF GH levels, IGF I1 levels, and pituitary enhancement MRI were reviewed at 3 months postoperatively. (5) OGTF GH, IGF I1, and pituitary MRI were selectively reviewed at 6 months postoperatively based on the results of the 3-month postoperative follow-up.  (6) For well-controlled patients, OGTT GH level and IGF-1 level should be reviewed once a year after surgery, and MRI of the saddle area should be reviewed annually after surgery according to the degree of control of the patient’s disease; for patients with complications, evaluation of complications should be performed once a year.  Since limbomegaly is a relatively rare chronic disease involving multiple disciplines and fields, it is easy to delay the diagnosis and treatment, and therefore causes a corresponding increase in complications and morbidity and mortality in patients. Therefore, the treatment plan for limbomegaly should ideally be developed by a team of experts who will weigh the pros and cons of each case and develop an individualized treatment plan to achieve the most optimal outcome. This team should include specialists in endocrinology, neurosurgery, radiotherapy, diagnostic radiology, and pathology. To standardize and improve the diagnosis and treatment of limbomegaly as much as possible, taking into account the actual situation in China. Improving the cure rate and reducing complications and mortality is a very important task that requires the collaboration of multidisciplinary specialists.