Prolactinoma

Prolactinoma is a tumor that occurs on the pituitary gland. It is a benign tumor. It is also the most common pituitary tumor that people are diagnosed with. Statistically in the US, 25 percent of people have pituitary tumors, and 40 percent of those individuals have prolactinoma tumors.

A prolactinoma tumor does present symptoms in indiviuals. Some of the symptoms that may occur will be headaches, blurry vision, lactation, variation in the menstrual cycle of women, and possible a decline in sex drive. If the tumor is big enough to push against the nerves in the eye, people will most likely experience blurry vision and headaches. The tumor increase levels of prolactin, so lactation in either men and women may occur.

There are a range of treatments that are available for this tumor. Medication, such as ones that make the body think its getting higher leves of dopamine. Dopamine inhibits the prolactin in the body, so if you are receiving dopamine, then the increasing release of prolactin should discontinued. If this works, it should shrink the pituitary gland and stop the high levels of prolactin being released in the body. With the pituitary tumor getting smaller, the symptoms should stop. If medication does not work, then surgery may have to be an option in order to restore normal functions in the body. If the tumor is small, then the neurosurgeon has a better chance to completley remove the whole entire tumor, meaning prolactin levels should go back to normal. However, if it is a large tumor, than the tumor may not be able to be fully removed. This in return, means medication may have to be taken post surgery in order to get prolactin levels back to normal.

Information: http://www.endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/prolact/prolact.htm

Image: http://neurosurgery.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=212

Glomus Tympanicm Tumors

Glomus tympanicum tumors are tumors that arise in the middle ear. These are benign tumors; they do not metastsize. They are basically composed of "feeder" arteries, making it a highly vascular tumor. This means that if cut open, a lot of blood would be contained through the cut arteries located in this tumor. There are different sizes of these tumors that could occur. So, the symptoms of this tumor range based on the size of it.

Certain symptoms are linked with these tympanicum tumors. People that have these tumors may experience loss of hearing, how much, depends upon the size. If the tumor is small enough, they will probably not experience any hearing loss at all. Now, a larger tumor may also cause ringing of the ear, known as "pulsatile tinnitis." Pulsatile tinnitis is caused because the tumor has become large enough to push against the ear ossicles, creating a vibration in the ear, a ringing sensation. Now on the other hand, some may be small enough to not cause any symptoms at all.

In a case of a glomus tumor, the only sure way they would diagnose a glomus tympanicum tumor would be to do an MRI, MR angiography, or CT, in which it would appear as a red dot or a mass located posterior to the eardrum. These exams will also tell the size of the tumor as well, which is important in case it is pushing against the jugular vein or possibly the brain. In this case the surgeon would want to know the situation for possible treatments.

There are a few different options for treatment. One possible treatment, depending on the location and size may be to remove it by laser. This would be the best for the patient. The second treatment would be to surgically remove it; this is will be for the larger, more complicated tumors. Lastly, radiation treatment. While this doesn't erradicate it, for older individuals it may be a good option because it will be able to stop the growth, while not compromising themselves during a surgery.

Information:http://www.earsurgery.org/glomus.html

Image: http://www.ghorayeb.com/GlomusTympanicum.html

Wilson's disease

I decided to research more on Wilson's disease. It actually turned out to be something interesting to possibly look for, and I say this because Wilson's disease is actually genetic. It is a disease in which a person's body does not properly dispose of copper; it in facts stores too much of it. Wilson's disease occurs in about 1 in 30,000 individuals. This disease is a recessive gene, so as we learned in Mrs. Titzer's class both parents must carry this recessive gene in order to pass it on to their child.

There are quite a few symptoms that can evolve from this disease. They usually become more noticeable in teen years, however they may start as a child. Symptoms caused from copper build up can include hepatitis (which an MRI image is displayed to the left), depression, loss of appetite, fatigue, swelling of the abdomen, tremors (later in life), jaundice, etc. The problems caused from the disease usually begin in the liver, however if left untreated, may work itself through the bloodstream and may affect the brain in serious cases.

An individual with Wilson's disease

Although there is no cure for this disease because it is genetic, there are definitely plenty of useful treatments. One treatment to take would be zinc acetate. In this medication the zinc blocks the absorption of the copper, which in a person with Wilson's disease would not normally be able to do. Another treatment would be to take a medication called, D-penicillamine, which again attaches to the copper. This prevents the abnormal absorption and storage of copper. This medication allows the person to excrete the copper into their urine. Individuals with Wilson's disease do need to stay away from foods that contain high amounts of copper such as chocolate, mushrooms, and shellfish. Hopefully an individual seeks treatment because without treatment, this can be a serious disease, however with treatment a person can live a fairly normal life.

Information: http://www.wilsonsdisease.org/content.asp@CAT_ID=14.html

http://www.wemove.org/wil/wil_tre.html

Both Pictures: http://www.gfmer.ch/genetic_diseases_v2/gendis_detail_list.php?cat3=314