PATHOGENESIS OF PITUITARY CUSHINGS-SYNDROME - PITUITARY VERSUS HYPOTHALAMIC

There has been a long-standing controversy as to whether Cushing's disease is caused by hypothalamic dysregulation or by a primary pituitary defect. There have been data supporting both concepts. Recent molecular biology techniques have confirmed, however, that coricotroph adenomas are monoclonal, supporting a genetic defect at the level of the pituitary as the cause of the disorder in most cases.