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Deteriorated Executive Functions in Patients with Successful Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas Compared with Other Chronically Ill Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 December 2010

Karsten Müssig ,
Britta Besemer ,
Ralf Saur ,
Stefan Klingberg ,
Hans-Ulrich Häring ,
Baptist Gallwitz  and
Thomas Leyhe
Karsten Müssig*
Affiliation:
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Angiology, Nephrology and Clinical Chemistry, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany Department of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Oncology, Florence Nightingale Hospital, Kaiserswerther Diakonie, Düsseldorf, Germany
Britta Besemer
Affiliation:
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Angiology, Nephrology and Clinical Chemistry, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Ralf Saur
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Stefan Klingberg
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Hans-Ulrich Häring
Affiliation:
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Angiology, Nephrology and Clinical Chemistry, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Baptist Gallwitz
Affiliation:
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Angiology, Nephrology and Clinical Chemistry, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Thomas Leyhe
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany Geriatric Center at the University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Karsten Müssig, MD, Klinik für Innere Medizin mit Gastroenterologie und Onkologie, Florence-Nightingale-Krankenhaus, Kaiserswerther Diakonie, Kreuzbergstr. 79, 40489 Düsseldorf, Germany. E-mail: muessig@kaiserswerther-diakonie.de
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Abstract

Pituitary adenomas, even after successful treatment, are associated with cognitive impairments. It is unclear whether these deficits are a consequence of unspecific factors associated with having a chronic illness and whether the cognitive dysfunctions exceed those of other chronically ill patients. Thirty-eight patients with transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas and 38 patients undergoing L-thyroxine replacement therapy after thyroid surgery were studied neuropsychologically with established tests. Executive function was examined with the Trail-Making Test A and B, working memory with the digit span test, attention with the digit symbol test, verbal memory with the German version of the Auditory Verbal Learning and Memory Test, and general verbal intelligence by a vocabulary test. Attention (p = .007), attentional speed (p = .0004), executive control (p = .04), and working memory (p = .01), were significantly reduced in patients with pituitary adenomas compared with other chronically ill patients. In contrast, no differences were found between the groups for verbal memory (all subtests: p ≥ .06). Patients with successful surgery for pituitary adenomas show also in comparison with other chronically ill patients an increased risk for deficits in certain aspects of cognitive function, including attention and working memory, supporting the relevance of the brain lesion and its treatment for these dysfunctions. (JINS, 2011, 17, 369–375)

Keywords

Neuropsychological testsPituitary surgeryProlactinomaCushing's diseaseAcromegalyNon-functioning adenoma
Type
Brief Communication
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , 28 February 2011 , pp. 369 - 375
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2010

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