Practical Pituitary Pathology

Conclusions.—The initial examination requires routine hematoxylin-eosin to establish whether the lesion is a primary adenohypophysial proliferation or one of the many other types of pathology that occur in this area. The most common lesions resected surgically are pituitary adenomas. These are evaluated with a number of special stains and immunohistochemical markers that are now available to accurately classify these tumors. The complex subclassification of pituitary adenomas is now recognized to reflect specific clinical features and genetic alterations that predict targeted therapies for patients with pituitary disorders. (Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2008;132:1231–1240)