A tsh secreting pituitary tumor accompanied by high stature: presentation of a case and review of the literature.

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Abstract
A 23-yr-old man of high stature, with hypogonadism and bitemporal-upper-quadrantic visual defects had a pituitary tumor. He had a slightly enlarged struma, while he did not show any signs of hyperthyroidism. His serum TSH [thyrotropin] level (10.4 .mu.U/ml) was slightly elevated despite increased levels of serum thyroid hormone (T3 [triiodothyronine] 249 ng/dl, thyroxine 12.0 .mu.g/dl). The elevated serum TSH levels and thyroidal uptake of 123I were not suppressed after 7 days of 75 .mu.g T3 administration. Serum TSH levels did not increase further after thyroliberin administration. Hypofunction of the anterior pituitary gland was observed. Following transsphenoidal hypophysectomy, the serum thyroid hormone and TSH levels returned to the normal range. Immunohistochemical examination revealed the existence of numerous TSH positive cells. The patient evidently had a pituitary tumor which secreted inappropriate amounts of TSH.