A Pilot Study of Pre- and Post-operative Somatuline Depot Therapy in Acromegalic Patients Treated by Endonasal Endoscopic Surgery: Impact on Early Remission Rates and Perioperative Morbidity

Inclusion Criteria:

- age 18 - 75

- elevated serum IGF-1 level above age- and sex-based normal values and failure of
growth hormone(GH) suppression to < 1.0 ng/ml after a 75 gm oral glucose tolerance
test (OGTT) American Association of Clinical Endocrinolgists (AACE) Acromegaly
Clinical Guidelines 2004

- visible pituitary adenoma (microadenoma or macroadenoma) on high quality pituitary
MRI without and with gadolinium

- prior treatments for acromegaly with surgery, somatostatin analogs or pegvisomant are
acceptable if these therapies have been discontinued for at least 3 months prior to
study entry

Exclusion Criteria:

- Age < 18 or > 75 years

- acromegalic patients currently on a lanreotide or octreotide preparation or on
pegvisomant

- patients who have received prior radiotherapy or radiosurgery

- patients with adenoma-related visual acuity or visual field deficit from optic nerve
and/or chiasm compression or severe optic nerve/chiasm compression in the setting of
normal visual fields and acuity

- patients with pituitary apoplexy defined as recent tumor hemorrhage and/or infarction
on MRI with associated symptoms of new onset visual loss, diplopia and/or adrenal
insufficiency