[Correlation between the morphological and functional parameters in hypophyseal adenomas of acromegalic patients]

A series of 50 human pituitary adenomas with acromegaly has been investigated morphologically and densitometrically by use of a system for automated microscope picture analysis (AMBA). Twenty nuclear and tissue features have been measured. The tumors were divided into eosinophilic, eosinophilic/chromophobe and chromophobe adenomas. We found no correlation between the analysed karyometric features and the blood hormone levels. But considering the results of the hematoxylin-eosin-staining, significant differences exist between the three histological subtypes. Eosinophilic adenomas show higher blood hormone levels than mixed and chromophobe tumors. Significant differences between the subtypes in some nuclear and tissue features allow a classification. Eosinophilic adenomas have bigger nuclei with higher extinction (that means higher DNA-content). The parameter EXTK (expected extinction at the borderline of the nuclei) was of great importance for the separation of mixed and chromophobe adenomas. The size of the adenomas had no influence on the blood hormone levels. Further studies are necessary to answer the question whether these results are a true expression of a different functional state.