Characteristics of Pituitary Adenomas at Jordan University Hospital: An 18-year single center experience

Abstract

Background: Pituitary adenomas comprise about 10-15% of the total brain tumors and are mostly benign. Many of them are incidentally found, others present with a wide variety of symptoms and different sizes. Aim & Objectives: In this study, we aim to report the characteristics (age, gender, size, functionality) of pituitary adenomas at our institution during the last eighteen years Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review at Jordan university hospital (JUH) over the period of 2001 to 2019 for all patients with diagnosis of pituitary adenoma. A total of 323 patients were included in this study. All data regarding age, gender, size, radiological reports and clinical presentation were collected from electronic files and archives. Results: The mean age was 37.43 (±15.52) years. There were 104 (32.2%) male and 219 (67.8%) female. One hundred and sixty patients (49.6%) had microadenomas, 163 (50.4%) had macroadenomas. One hundred thirty patients (40.3%) were diagnosed to have functioning pituitary adenomas. Conclusion: Pituitary adenomas are benign tumors with variable characteristics in different cohorts. Further studies should be encouraged in different hospitals across Jordan to establish a database for pituitary adenomas in Jordan.