Post-traumatic pituitary apoplexy: Case presentation and review of literature

Abstract

Pituitary apoplexy is a dramatic condition that can occur spontaneously or triggered by various precipitating factors. Head trauma is a rare but well-recognized cause of apoplectics events. We present the case of an 81-year-old woman, with negative past medical history and under antiplatelet agents, who experienced an isolated VI cranial nerve palsy 24 h after a mild head trauma. Early brain CT revealed an unknown pituitary lesion without signs of intralesional bleeding. Only late brain MRI imaging revealed pituitary apoplexy together with a subarachnoid hemorrhage. After aggravation of neurological condition the patient, undergo endoscopic transsphenoidal decompression of cranial nerves with rapid deficits improvement. Our aim is to share our experience and to propose the first critical review of all cases of post-traumatic pituitary apoplexy described in literature. We also try to suggest some management advice for post traumatic pituitary apoplexy.