AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 21:1067±1069, June/July 2000 Case Report Bilateral Pituitary Adenomas Occurring with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type One Anju Sahdev and Rolf JaÈger Summary: We report a case of synchronous bilateral pi- physical examination also revealed no other abnormalities. Her tuitary adenomas in a patient with multiple endocrine neo- most recent serum prolactin was 49 mg/L (normal range 0±30), plasia type one (MEN1). The patient was previously known which had been slowly rising over a 2-year period. The intact parathyroid hormone level was 6.4 pmol/L (normal range 1.1± to have a pancreatic gastrinoma and had ®rst-degree rel- 5.3), plasma cortisol was 324 nmol/L (normal range 140±690 atives with MEN1. Both adenomas were concurrently re- nmol/L), and 24-hour urinary cortisol was 93 nmol/d (normal vealed by high-resolution MR imaging of the pituitary range 80±280). Thyroid function tests and routine biochemistry gland as part of the investigation of the patient's severe, were normal except for minimally elevated total serum calcium persistent headaches and elevated serum prolactin level. of 2.72 mmol/L (normal range 2.5±2.55). The corrected calcium remained minimally elevated at 2.58 mmol/L. This elevated se- rum calcium had been stable over a 2-year period. Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) Previous imaging included sonography and scintigraphy of syndrome is an autosomal dominant inherited tu- the neck, which showed no evidence of a parathyroid adenoma. mor syndrome, phenotypically characterised by the In view of increasing serum prolactin levels and headaches, MR imaging of the pituitary gland was performed to exclude development of multiple endocrine tumors or hy- a prolactinoma. Axial T2-weighted images of the whole brain, persecretory states of the parathyroid, anterior pi- high-resolution pre- and postcontrast coronal T1-weighted and tuitary, or islet cells of the pancreas. Thymic, fore- sagittal postcontrast images of the pituitary gland were ac- gut, and bronchial carcinomas are also associated quired. The unenhanced coronal pituitary images showed two with MEN1 syndrome. Collagenomas and facial separate and distinct areas of hypointense signal in each lobe angio®bromas are newly recognised but common (Fig 2A). After administration of 10 mL of IV gadolinium, skin expressions. Many tumors associated with two nonenhancing foci, separated by normally enhanced pitu- itary tissue, were revealed (Fig 2B±E). The appearance was MEN1 syndrome are benign; however, many en- consistent with two separate 4-mm pituitary adenomas. There teropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and foregut was no involvement of the cavernous sinuses or compromise carcinoid tumors are malignant. of the anterior optic pathways. The patient was placed on bro- The syndrome has a prevalence of 0.02 to 0.2 mocriptine mesylate, to which she responded favorably, with per 1000. Typically, MEN1 syndrome tumors begin the serum prolactin falling to 34mg/L. 2 decades earlier than sporadic tumors of the same endocrine cells, demonstrate multiplicity, and are frequently recurrent. Discussion Pituitary adenomas occur in 28% to 30% of pa- tients with MEN1. Synchronous anterior pituitary Pituitary adenomas may develop sporadically or adenomas are very rare and have not been previ- as part of the MEN1 syndrome. The gene respon- ously reported in association with MEN1. To our sible for the MEN1 syndrome, labelled the MEN1 knowledge, our patient is the ®rst reported case of gene, has recently been mapped on chromosome synchronous bilateral pituitary adenomas in MEN1. 11q13 and cloned. Studies of the MEN1-syn- drome±associated tumors have revealed deletion of the second, wild-type MEN1 allele (1). The MEN1 Case History gene has a widely expressed mRNA that encodes A 26-year-old woman presented to the outpatient clinic with a protein, menin, of 610 amino acids. Most of the a 2-month history of severe, recurring headaches. Her medical germline and somatic MEN1 gene mutations are history included a surgically resected pancreatic gastrinoma. She predictive of truncation of menin, a likely destruc- was also the fourth member of her family who was affected by tive change. Inactivating MEN1 gene mutations in MEN1 (Fig 1). On examination, she had no focal neurologic signs, normal visual acuity, and no visual ®eld defects. The full germline and in sporadic neoplasms support prior predictions that MEN1 is a tumor-suppressor gene. Received August 27, 1999; accepted after revision January 13, Germline MEN1 gene mutation underlies all or 2000. most cases of MEN1 syndrome (2). From the Department of Imaging, Middlesex Hospital, Lon- Genetic analysis clearly identi®es gene carriers, don, U.K. allowing reliable screening in affected families. Address reprint requests to Dr. Anju Sahdev, Department of Candidates for MEN1 gene mutation testing in- Imaging, Middlesex Hospital, Mortimer Street, London W1N 8NN U.K. clude patients with MEN1 syndrome, or its phe- nocopies, and ®rst-degree relatives of persons with q American Society of Neuroradiology MEN1 syndrome. 1067 MS 1068 SAHDEV AJNR: 21, June/July 2000 producing hormones are labelled as functioning tu- mors. Each tumor may produce many different hor- mones, but the overproduction of a single hormone is evident clinically (5). Forty percent of MEN1 patients have adrenocor- tical hyperplasia. Of these, 9% develop focal ad- renal masses (adenomas or carcinomas). Several cases of adrenocortical carcinoma have been re- ported in association with hyperplasia and MEN1 syndrome. In all patients with adrenal involvement, pancreatic tumors are also present. This coexistence of adrenal and pancreatic tumors is not fully un- derstood (6). Among patients with MEN1, the reported inci- FIG 1. Family tree demonstrating the members of the patient's dence of anterior pituitary adenomas ranges be- family and the MEN1-related expressions. tween 28% to 30% (7). Patients with MEN1 may Key: develop prolactinomas, somatotrophinomas, and c-Affected female with MEN1 nonfunctioning adenomas. Seventy-six percent of n-Affected male with MEN1 these tumors are prolactinomas, and these behave V-Unaffected female h-Unaffected male more aggressively than sporadic prolactinomas. Forty-seven percent of prolactinomas grow disease despite medical treatment (8). In these patients, screening of all endocrine or- Four cases of multiple, synchronous pituitary ad- gans at regular intervals is necessary because of the enomas have been previously reported, none of development of additional endocrine manifesta- which were associated with MEN1 or revealed by tions, including adrenal tumors, Zollinger±Ellison MR imaging. syndrome, and thymic and cutaneous carcinomas Tolis et al (9), in 1978, described a woman with (3). two adenomas secreting prolactin and growth hor- Hyperparathyroidism occurs in 95% of MEN1 mone (GH), respectively, which were resected sep- patients by the age of 30 years, whereas an ade- arately by transsphenoidal surgery. After the ®rst noma is only detected in 86% (4). Hyperparathy- prolactinoma was resected, the patient's GH levels roidism and hypercalcemia precede all other man- remained persistently elevated. The second trans- ifestations in the majority of cases. sphenoidal exploration revealed another adenoma. Pancreatic islet cell tumors occur in 40% to 50% After resection, GH levels returned to normal. In of MEN1-affected individuals. Gastrinomas occur 1981, Powers and Wilson (10) and Woosely (11) frequently among patients above the age of 40 reported patients with double-prolactin±secreting years; however, insulinomas occur more commonly pituitary adenomas. In 1992, Wynne et al (12) de- in individuals under the age of 40 years. All islet scribed a woman with Nelson's syndrome in whom cell tumors produce polypeptides, but only those there were two adenomas secreting prolactin and FIG 2. A, Coronal T1-weighted unenh- anced MR image (450/14/2 [TR/TE/excita- tions]) shows two low-signal foci within the pituitary gland. B, Coronal T1-weighted (637/14/2), fat-saturated, contrast-enhanced MR scan shows two nonenhancing foci, sep- arated by normally enhancing pituitary tis- sue. C±E, T1-weighted (637/14/2), fat-satu- rated, contrast-enhanced sagittal scans from right to left reveal two adenomas (C, E). In- terposed between the two adenomas is nor- mal pituitary tissue and the infundibulum (D). AJNR: 21, June/July 2000 BILATERAL PITUITARY ADENOMAS 1069 corticotropin, respectively. All previously reported 3. Bartsch D, Kopp I, Bergenfelz A, et al. MEN 1 gene mutations in 12 MEN1 families and their associated tumors. Eur J En- cases of multiple synchronous tumors were identi- docrinol 1998;139:416±420 ®ed by analysis of neurosurgical specimens without 4. Burgess JR, Greenaway TM, Shepherd JJ. Expression of the prior documentation by CT or MR imaging. MEN1 gene in a large kindred with multiple endocrine neo- Our patient responded well to medical treatment, plasia type 1. J Intern Med 1998;243:465±470 5. Burgess JR, Harle Ra, Tucker P et al. Adrenal lesions in a large and surgical intervention is not indicated at present. kindred with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. Arch Surg Histologic con®rmation of the cell type was there- 1996;131:699±702 fore not possible, but the gradual decrease in serum 6. Skogseid B, Larsson C, Lindgren PG, et al. Clinical and genetic features of adrenocortical lesions in multiple endocrine neo- prolactin and the favorable response to treatment plasia type 1. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1992;75:76±81 with bromocriptine mesylate, suggests that at least 7. Trump D, Farren B, Wooding C, et al. Clinical studies of multiple one of the adenomas is a prolactinoma. At present, endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). QJM 1996;89:653±669 our patient does not show any features of an ag- 8. Burgess JR, Shepherd JJ, Parameswaran V, et al. Spectrum of pituitary disease in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 gressive MEN1 prolactinoma, because the serum (MEN1): clinical, biochemical and radiological features of pi- prolactin level has decreased to 34mg/L.