Pituitary Apoplexy (PA): Delayed Diagnosis of a Rare Clinical Syndrome in a Patient With a Known Pituitary Adenoma

Abstract

Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is a rare clinical syndrome in which the pituitary gland undergoes infarction or hemorrhage, predominantly in the setting of an underlying tumor. We report on apoplexy of an expanding pituitary macroadenoma that was compressing the optic chiasm in a patient with progressively worsening neurologic deficits. Due to the patient's rapidly declining clinical status and family's goals of care, no neurosurgical intervention took place, and the patient expired a few days following discharge to hospice. This case highlights the importance of early suspicion for apoplexy in a patient with a history of pituitary adenoma and signs of neurologic deficit.

Keywords: cranial nerve deficit; endocrinology; macroadenoma; neurology case report; pituitary apoplexy.