The overwhelming majority of pituitary adenomas are benign and present either with characteristic syndromes of excess hormone secretion or secondary to mass effect by the growing tumor. The common hypersecretory syndromes include Cushing’s disease, Acromegaly/Gigantism, and Forbes-Albright syndrome. Local mass effect on the pituitary can cause varying degrees of hypopituitarism. As the tumor grows beyond the confines of the sella turcica, the visual pathways are commonly affected and cause visual field deficits. Effective medical therapy is available for prolactin secreting adenomas. With the exception of these tumors, transsphenoidal surgery remains the first-line treatment for most other pituitary adenomas.

Key words: pituitary adenoma, transsphenoidal surgery