Dysfunction of dopaminergic regulation of prolactin in patients with functioning and nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas and craniopharyngiomas.

The response to domperidone (a dopamine blocking agent) of serum prolactin (PRL) levels was compared in 3 patients with amenorrhea-galactorrhea without evidence of a pituitary tumor, 23 patients with prolactinomas (10 cases with histologic confirmation), 7 patients with histologically verified large nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas with normal or moderately elevated basal PRL levels, and 6 patients with histologically verified craniopharyngiomas (3 with normal basal PRL levels and 3 with elevated PRL levels). The response was compared with that of 10 patients with postpartum hyperprolactinemia and 14 normal women. Ten milligrams of intravenous domperidone induced a rapid rise in PRL that was maximal at 30 to 45 minutes in normal, postpartum, and amenorrhea-galactorrhea patients who had no sign of tumor. In contrast, domperidone failed to induce significant changes in PRL in cases of prolactinoma, nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas, and craniopharyngioma with or without elevated basal PRL levels. The results suggest that dopaminergic control on PRL secretion was impaired in all tumor cases. The mechanisms of this abnormal dopaminergic control, however, may be different. Whereas dopamine control in cases of prolactinoma is altered at the level of pituitary dopamine receptors, alternative explanations must be found for those tumors with normal basal PRL levels and lack of response to domperidone.