Pituitary apoplexy

Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is a rare clinical syndrome caused by sudden hemorrhaging and/or infarction of the pituitary gland, generally within a pituitary adenoma. The main symptom is sudden-onset severe headache, associated with visual disorders or ocular palsy. Corticotropic deficiency may be life-t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEndocrinology and metabolism clinics of North America Vol. 44; no. 1; p. 199
Main Authors Briet, Claire, Salenave, Sylvie, Chanson, Philippe
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.03.2015
Subjects
Humans
Pituitary Apoplexy - diagnosis
Pituitary Apoplexy - therapy
Pituitary apoplexy
Corticotropic deficiency
Magnetic resonance imaging
Pituitary adenoma
Emergency
Neurosurgery
Hemorrhage
Necrosis
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Summary:Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is a rare clinical syndrome caused by sudden hemorrhaging and/or infarction of the pituitary gland, generally within a pituitary adenoma. The main symptom is sudden-onset severe headache, associated with visual disorders or ocular palsy. Corticotropic deficiency may be life-threatening if left untreated. Computed tomography (CT) or MRI confirms the diagnosis by revealing a pituitary tumor with hemorrhagic and/or necrotic components. PA used to be considered a neurosurgical emergency but a conservative approach is increasingly used in selected patients, as it yields similar outcomes. Glucocorticoid treatment must always be started immediately after onset.
ISSN:1558-4410
DOI:10.1016/j.ecl.2014.10.016