Pituitary apoplexy

Pituitary apoplexy is an infrequent complication of pituitary adenomas, caused by hemorrhagic or ischemic infarction in the tumor, with typical clinical presentation: severe headache of sudden onset, visual disturbances, sleep tendency or comma. Along the last ten years we have treated eight patients with pituitary apoplexy. The diagnostic was clinically established in all of them. Seven cases complained of severe headache and vomiting. Eight patients reported visual disturbances. In one case low level of consciousness and meningeal irritation were the only findings. In six cases the apoplexy was the first pituitary adenoma manifestation. MRI and CT studies demonstrated the pituitary stroke in seven patients. Surgical trans-sphenoidal decompression was performed in seven patients, requiring urgent management in only one case. All patients experienced a marked visual improvement, but there was no amelioration of endocrine preoperative disturbances in any case. We conclude that quick diagnosis, early onset of hormonal therapy and urgent or delayed trans-sphenoidal surgery, depending on clinical manifestations, constitute the principies of the appropriate treatment of pituitary apoplexy.