Pituitary Center

At NYU Langone’s Pituitary Center, our experts are leaders in advanced treatment for people with all types of pituitary tumors and disorders. Our doctors treat more than 300 patients each year and care for those with rare and complex pituitary conditions, such as Cushing disease, acromegaly, prolactinoma, cranial pharyngioma, and Rathke cleft cyst. We routinely see patients who have already had surgery elsewhere or have been told by physicians at other centers that their condition cannot be treated. We are also recognized as a center of excellence for the treatment of pituitary disorders by the Pituitary Network Association.

We bring together a team that includes neurosurgeons; endocrinologists; otolaryngologists, also known as ear, nose, and throat specialists; neuro-ophthalmologists; radiologists; and pathologists. Our team ensures that people with pituitary conditions get the most effective treatment, using the latest technology and tools.

Advanced Care for Pituitary Disorders

For most patients, our endocrinologists strive to treat the hormonal changes associated with pituitary diseases through medication management. If surgery is needed, our neurosurgeons use innovative technology to perform fully endoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive technique that helps ensure a rapid recovery. We also offer Gamma Knife^® radiosurgery to manage small pituitary tumors in people who cannot have surgery or to treat small portions of tumors that are not completely removed after surgery.

Our operating rooms are digitally integrated and are equipped with the most advanced technology, including Surgical Theater, a three-dimensional platform for planning and performing surgery, and Brainlab, integrated software for surgical planning, surgical navigation, and data management.

NYU Langone is also home to two intraoperative MRI machines, which allow our neurosurgeons to make real-time decisions based on imaging results during surgery and also enable our surgeons to more thoroughly remove pituitary tumors in less time.

Advanced intraoperative imaging helps clarify the boundary between normal gland tissue and tumor, which not only improves rates of tumor removal but also reduces the risk of gland dysfunction after surgery.

Leaders in Pituitary Disorders Research

As leaders in pituitary disorders research, our neurosurgeons and endocrinologists collaborate with neuroradiologists to better refine imaging techniques to find and treat pituitary tumors. To detect microadenomas—tumors less than 1 centimeter in diameter—NYU Langone neuroradiologists have pioneered the use of 2 types of state-of-the-art MRI: golden-angle radial sparse parallel (GRASP) and constructive interference in steady state (CISS). Both GRASP and CISS MRI scans offer ultra-high-resolution images and allow our doctors to better detect small, hard-to-find microadenomas and successfully remove them using noninvasive surgical techniques. In addition, neuroradiologists and nuclear medicine physicians combine these MRI sequences with PET scans to find rare ectopic tumors in people who have acromegaly or Cushing disease.

Our team also is proud to collaborate with the North American Skull Base Society to conduct research on improving surgical outcomes on a national level. In collaborating with other large academic centers throughout the country, we help to develop the standards for pituitary surgical excellence.