A case of growth-hormone staining pituitary adenoma with renal cyst and hepatic cyst: are they related manifestations of a single disease?

Growth-hormone staining pituitary adenoma is a popular disease of the central nervous system. We noticed some patients have accompanying cystic disorders. Several cases of concomitant growth-hormone (GH)-staining pituitary adenoma and other cystic changes have been reported but with no further investigation. We report a case of adult growth-hormone staining pituitary adenoma with accompanying polycystic changes of multiple systems, as well as hypertension and nephrolithiasis. Preoperative clinical assessment revealed intrasellar tumor, multinodular thyroid disorder, renal cysts, and hepatic cysts, with increased serum growth-hormone level and normal thyroid hormone level. The total tumor resection was performed via endoscopic transsphenoidal approach. The pathologic analysis reported growth-hormone staining pituitary adenoma. The postoperative course was uneventful. The endocrine testing was normal soon after the operation and the patient remained well for a follow-up period of eight months. This is the fifth report about simultaneous growth-hormone staining pituitary adenoma and polycystic changes of the kidneys and the liver. With review of the literature we speculate that the abnormal growth hormone secretion of the pituitary adenoma may arouse sequential cystic changes of multiple systems through some IGF-I involved pathways.