[Acromegaly. Diagnostic and therapeutic aspects. Analysis of 18 cases]

The authors present a retrospective study of a series of eighteen patients with acromegaly diagnosed, treated and followed by the Endocrinology and Neurosurgery Services of the Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The average age of the patients was 43.2% years (varying between 15 and 63). Initial complaints were mainly due to somatic alterations in 83.33%; half the cases had manifestations secondary to tumor compression and 53.33% had neuro-ophtalmological alterations. Hypersecretion of growth hormone was demonstrated by basal hormone determinations and dynamic tests. Neuroradiological assessment showed supraselar expansion in 61.11% of cases. Surgical approach was transsphenoidal in all cases. The main objective of this study was to establish diagnostic criteria, discuss the therapeutic conduct and evaluate the results obtained, comparing them with other series of literature.