The pituitary gland, is a small, pea-sized gland at the base of the brain. It is sometimes referred to as the "master gland" because it releases hormones that influence other endocrine glands, like the thyroid and adrenal glands, and also regulates oestrogen and testosterone levels.

There are different lesions that can arise in the area where the pituitary gland is located. These include Rathke’s cleft cysts and pituitary adenomas.

Pituitary adenomas are benign tumours of the pituitary gland which can be:

• Functioning (produces excess hormones such as prolactinomas)

• Non-functioning (do not produce hormones)

For this reason it is important to monitor and manage pituitary adenomas to ensure they do not secrete excess hormones and/or grow in size, for example:

• Acromegaly (excess growth hormone)

• Cushing’s Disease (excess adrenocorticotrophic hormone and cortisol)