[Pituitary adenoma in a 9-year-old boy. Case report and review of the literature].

A 9-year-old boy was referred in July 1982 because of a 4-month history of headache in the frontal area. He had also developed a visual disturbance. The physical examination was normal. The visual field test showed bitemporal hemianopsia and his visual acuity was Vd 0.5 and Vs 0.2. A mild optic nerve atrophy without papilledema was seen in the left optic fundus. Endocrine evaluation demonstrated a deficit in the GH secretion both in the baseline and in provocation. X-ray examina tion of the skull demonstrated a slightly enlarged sella turcica. Computerized tomography revealed a slightly high-dense mass at the intrasellar and suprasellar areas with homogeneous enhancement. Transcranial selective resection of the pituitary adenoma was performed, using a surgical microscope. The tumor was diagnosed by histological examination to be a chromophobe adenoma. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient had Lineac teletherapy, receiving a tumor dose of 5,100 rads. At follow-up after 10 months, the visual field and acuity had returned to almost normal. To date, 32 cases of such tumor have been reported. The clinical significance and treatment of this adenoma are discussed.