Acromegaly

Care at Mayo Clinic

At Mayo Clinic, people with acromegaly and pituitary tumors receive care from an integrated team of specialists. Our endocrinologists, neurosurgeons, ear, nose and throat (ENT), and pituitary experts use the latest technology to provide accurate diagnosis and advanced acromegaly treatment — including endoscopic pituitary surgery, radiosurgery and hormone therapy.

Endocrinologists at Mayo Clinic with expertise in pituitary disease coordinate a team to comprehensively evaluate pituitary tumors. Mayo Clinic endocrinologists also are leaders in treating hormone-producing pituitary tumors and in providing pituitary hormone replacement therapy. Your care team may include specialists from:

• Head and Neck Surgery
• Neuro-ophthalmology
• Neuroradiology
• Neurosurgery
• Rhinology (nose and sinus)
• Pituitary-Gonad-Adrenal (PGA) Specialty Group
• Radiation Oncology

People with acromegaly caused by pituitary tumors who receive care in the Mayo Clinic Brain Tumor Program are treated by internationally respected doctors who specialize in this type of brain tumor. They use the latest technology and techniques to develop a treatment plan tailored to each situation.

Mayo Clinic's Department of Otolaryngology (ENT)/Head and Neck Surgery also includes a Comprehensive Skull Base Clinic at the Rochester campus in Minnesota. At the Comprehensive Skull Base Clinic, specialists use the latest technology and techniques to treat tumors and other conditions of the skull base.

Mayo Clinic's Skull Base Tumors Specialty Group in the Brain Tumor Program offers experts who are pioneering new treatment and diagnostic options for tumors such as those that can cause acromegaly. These surgeons have experience and expertise in a wide variety of treatment choices for pituitary tumors, including:

• Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery.
• Stereotactic radiosurgery.
• Fractionated radiation therapy.
• Proton beam radiation.

The Pituitary-Gonad-Adrenal (PGA) Specialty Group at Mayo Clinic has expertise in the conditions that affect these glands and the problems related to them, including acromegaly. Comprehensive consultations are provided for people diagnosed with or suspected of having PGA-related disorders.

The group works as a multidisciplinary team with colleagues in radiology, laboratory medicine and pathology, endocrine surgery, neurosurgery, medical genetics, and other specialty areas to provide state-of-the-art diagnosis and condition management. The endocrine testing center performs specialized endocrine testing in an outpatient setting.

Mayo Clinic's neuro-ophthalmology specialty group offers state-of-the-art ocular imaging and neuroimaging. For people with complex conditions, experts convene for a monthly imaging conference with neuroradiology colleagues to evaluate together.

At all three Mayo Clinic campuses, neuro-ophthalmologists work closely with Mayo's neurologists and neurosurgeons to treat people with any problems involving sight or eye movement that arise from the nervous system. They also collaborate with medical and radiation oncologists and other ophthalmic specialists, such as ocular oncologists, retina specialists, pediatric ophthalmologists, cornea specialists and oculoplastic surgeons.

The Neurosurgery Simulation and Innovations Lab conducts research to advance neurological surgery. The state-of-the-art research facility is equipped with 3D printers, holographic-capable modalities, virtual and augmented reality imaging, and other tools. These tools and technologies help to design new procedures and simulate full surgeries before they're actually performed.

The lab incorporates technological advances such as robotic surgery and stereotactic navigation systems.

Mayo Clinic experts from a wide variety of specialties work together to confirm the diagnosis of acromegaly, evaluate your symptoms and set up a treatment plan.

The state-of-the-art endocrine testing center within Mayo Clinic Laboratories accurately and safely performs complex hormonal stimulation and suppression tests. These tests are used to identify the types of pituitary tumors determine and how well the pituitary gland is working. These tests are essential in planning transsphenoidal surgery and creating a comprehensive treatment plan.

Mayo Clinic was among the first institutions to extensively research an endoscopic, through-the-nose surgical tumor removal technique. This technique also is known as transnasal surgical tumor removal. This method is highly successful, lowers discomfort and usually requires only an overnight stay in the hospital.