[Pituitary functional recovery and hormone replacement therapy of patients with pituitary adenoma surgery].

Objective: To study the pituitary functional recovery of patients with pituitary adenoma surgery and to identify appropriate dosages of hormone replacement for those patients.

Methods: Serum hormone levels of 187 patients with pituitary adenoma were detected before and after surgery.

Results: The lowest serum hormone levels were detected on the 3rd day after surgery (P < 0.05). The hormone levels were partly recovered on the 30th day (P < 0.05) and continued to rise to a relatively high level on the 90th day and one year after surgery (P < 0.05). Patients with older ages were more likely to suffer from hypopituitarism and had less satisfying recovery (P < 0.05) than their younger counterparts. The dosages of Euthyrox and Prednisone that were needed for hormone replacement therapy reached a relatively stable level on the 90th day after surgery (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Most patients with pituitary adenoma experienced hypopituitarism shortly after surgery, especially for the elderly who recovered more slowly. Low dosage of hormone replacement therapy based on their symptoms can help the patients reach a stable level of hormone within three months. As a result, the 90th day after surgery can be regarded as a cut-off time for measuring functional recovery of glandula pituitaria.