Pituitary apoplexy in the setting of double umbilical cord hematopoietic cell transplant and pancytopenia: A case report

Abstract

Thrombocytopenia is a known risk factor for pituitary apoplexy (PA). Here we report the third case of PA in the setting of thrombocytopenia secondary to recent hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). The patient had a pituitary macroadenoma and history of subtotal resection. He developed sudden onset headache and visual disturbances after HCT induction and was diagnosed with PA. He underwent endoscopic resection after platelet transfusion and had improvement in his visual deficits. We discuss the similarities in presentation for the 3 patients reported in the literature, as well as our protocol for safe management of thrombocytopenia in patients with emergent neurosurgical pathology.

Keywords

• Pituitary apoplexy
• Pancytopenia
• Tumor
• Umbilical cord hematopoietic cell transplant