Elevated Serum Prolactin Levels after Pituitary-Stalk Section in Man

Abstract
Prolactin activity, measured by a highly sensitive and specific assay procedure in the serums of 15 patients subjected to surgical section of the pituitary stalk for metastatic breast cancer or for diabetic retinopathy, was undetectable before operation; 11 showed marked elevations of serum prolactin (42 to 508 ng per milliliter) after operation. Normal volunteers, patients with diabetes mellitus or metastatic breast carcinoma not subjected to stalk section and patients subjected to hypophysectomy did not secrete detectable amounts of prolactin.