The neuropsychological effects of pituitary macroadenomas and their treatment

Pituitary adenomas account for roughly 12% of all intracranial tumours and are treated either surgically or medically. Due to the prevalence, there have been many articles focusing on their treatment. Recently, a few studies have been published suggesting a link between pituitary tumours, their treatment and cognitive dysfunction. These articles challenge the texts put forward to date, texts that demarcate adenoma treatment effects to the realm of the physicaL The mechanism(s) behind these supposed deficits have not yet been identified, largely because of problematic research designs and sampling. In the South African context, practitioners tend to encounter a greater proportion of macroadenomas than developed countries. Working on the assumption that the effects of adenomas are magnified in macroadenoma patients, the South African situation provides a base of extreme cases in which any potential dysfunction has the best chance to declare itself. This is particularly valuable given the controversy surrounding the presence of these cognitive deficits.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Psychology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Mark, Daniella

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Solms, Mark

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8039

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8039