ACROMEGALY
December 26, 2007 
Acromegaly is a very rare disorder caused, in most cases, by a tumor of the pituitary gland that produces too much growth hormone (GH). Nearly all pituitary tumors, including those that cause acromegaly, are benign, as opposed to malignant. However, they can become quite large and expand beyond the normal confines of the pituitary gland. Rarely, acromegaly can be caused by a tumor located in other areas of the body.
Acromegaly can develop in people of any age but usually affects adults between the ages of 30 and 50. If acromegaly occurs in children it causes gigantism, where the skeleton grows very quickly as more and more growth hormone is released by the pituitary tumor. Without treatment the child grows very tall.
The structure of the bones of the arms and legs changes at around 17 or 18 years, when a person stops growing. This makes them unable to grow taller in adulthood. If acromegaly develops after a person has stopped growing normally, it does not affect their height. However there are many other distinctive symptoms of acromegaly in both children and adults, and long-term it can have serious health consequences such as diabetes, high blood pressure and increased risk of heart disease and colon cancer.
Treatment of Acromegaly
December 26, 2007 
Acromegaly is treated very successfully in most cases. The aims of treatment are to reduce GH production to normal levels in order to reverse or improve the symptoms, and to prevent or minimize damage to the rest of the pituitary gland and
surrounding brain tissue by relieving the pressure exerted by the tumor.
Many people see an almost complete disappearance of their symptoms and facial features can pretty much return to how they were before acromegaly.
Surgery to remove the pituitary tumor is often the preferred treatment, as it tends to give the best results in the shortest time. If an operation is not possible in your case, then drug treatment and/or radiotherapy (X-rays) may be used instead. Doctors often suggest a combination of treatments tailored to your needs and symptoms to get the very best results.
Surgery
The pituitary is located at the very base of the brain, right in the middle of the skull. To reach it, and remove a tumor, the surgeon makes a small incision behind the top lip or in the nose. This is called transsphenoidal surgery and, in most patients with acromegaly, avoids more invasive surgery. From here the pituitary gland can be seen and the surgeon uses special tools to remove the tumor tissue. The operation usually takes about an hour and, in the best cases, the results can begin to be seen very quickly afterwards. For example, facial features may begin to get back to normal within a few days. Sometimes, although GH levels have been reduced by the operation, the acromegaly is not cured. In these instances you may be given additional treatment such as drug therapy and/or radiotherapy.
