[Surgical treatment of acromegaly by the trans-sphenoidal approach. II. Hormonal results]

Growth hormone determinations were done in the serum of 45 patients with acromegaly. In 3 cases the basal GH levels was normal, in the remaining ones it was raised. Of the functional tests those with insulin, glucose and L-Dopa were done. The tests with glucose and L-Dopa loading were found to be more useful diagnostically than the insulin test. After surgical treatment the GH level returned to its normal value in 10 cases, but in most cases it fell to at least one half of the initial value. In 5 cases with more pronounced expansion of the pituitary tumour the GH value was not significantly changed.