Mayo Clinic's approach
Collaboration
At Mayo Clinic, we provide expert care delivered with compassion and designed with you in mind. You'll have an integrated team of specialists that includes neurosurgeons who focus on pituitary tumors, endocrinologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists, radiation oncologists and neuroradiologists.
Mayo's Pituitary-Gonad-Adrenal (PGA) Specialty Group provides an individualized and comprehensive postoperative management plan for people undergoing pituitary surgery. Our PGA group includes experts in:
- Cushing syndrome, also called Cushing disease, a condition in which the body makes too much of a hormone called cortisol.
- Acromegaly, a rare hormonal condition in adults that causes some bones, organs and other tissues to grow bigger.
- Treatment-resistant prolactinomas.
- Other rare pituitary conditions.
State-of-the-art technology
Mayo Clinic offers 7-tesla MRI scanners for clinical use at all three campuses. The 7-tesla MRI uses a stronger magnetic field than standard MRI machines and can provide higher resolution, more-detailed images in select situations.
Mayo Clinic was the first center in North America to use clinical 7-tesla MRI after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the system in late 2017.
Mayo Clinic is one of the few centers that offers 7-tesla MRI as a routine diagnostic tool for evaluating people with conditions affecting the pituitary gland. This machine provides exceptional detail that helps specialists identify small growths and lesions that can be hard to find.
Personalized care
Many pituitary adenomas don't need treatment, and watchful waiting may be recommended. If treatment is recommended, our experts can help choose an approach that fits your needs. They have experience with treatments that may help return hormone levels to a healthy range. Treatment also may help avoid more damage to the pituitary gland, restore its regular function, and reverse or prevent symptoms.
Your team works with you to find the right approach or combination of approaches for you. These may include:
- Endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal surgery to remove a tumor through the nose and sinuses without an external incision or visible scar. It does not pass through brain tissue. This procedure usually reduces discomfort and length of hospital stay.
- Craniotomy to remove larger or more-complicated tumors through the upper part of the skull via an incision in the scalp.
- Radiation therapy, including proton therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery to precisely target a tumor with fewer side effects.
- Medication therapy. Our endocrinologists are leaders in pituitary hormone replacement therapy and in medical management of hormone-producing pituitary tumors, such as prolactinomas, growth hormone-secreting tumors and ACTH-producing tumors, such as those seen with Cushing syndrome.
Expertise and rankings
Experience
Mayo Clinic's highly specialized radiology teams perform and interpret a large number of scans each year. When integrated with ongoing research and education, this results in broad expertise in the imaging and treatment of diseases affecting people of all ages.
Nationally recognized expertise
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has been ranked among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery and for cancer in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, has been ranked among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery and for cancer in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, has been ranked among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery and for cancer in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Locations, travel and lodging
Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.
For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:
Costs and insurance
Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.
In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.
Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.
Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.