[Prolactin-secreting adenomas in males. Study of the hypophyseal-gonadal axis]

The pituitary gonadal-axis has been studied in 25 cases of PRL-secreting adenomas in men. Besides impotence, infertility, arrest or lack of puberty may be observed, basal levels of LH and FSH are in the low normal range but a weak increase of LH is observed after LH-RH. Testosterone (T) levels are low in most of the patients and only normal in 5. In two cases with actively secreting-PRL adenomas, normal circadian rhythms of T and PRL are abolished. After CB 154 treatment, an improvement of the clinical and biological symptoms is observed in 8 out of 10 men. An increase of LH response to LH-RH under CB 154 is obtained in 5 cases. This is in favour of a functional effect of the hyperprolactinemia on the pituitary.