Pituitary Apoplexy causing Panhypopituitarism

Abstract

We present an atypical presentation of pituitary apoplexy as a pontine mimic with drowsiness and pin-point pupils. The patient had a known pituitary macroadenoma with suprasellar extension with hypogonadism and hypothyroidism. Initial investigations revealed hyponatraemia and imaging suggested a localised cerebral ischaemia in the basal ganglia and no change in the pituitary adenoma. Only further assessment with MRI showed the extent of the haemorrhage. Management was conservative, although close involvement of neurosurgery and ophthalmology teams is essential. We believe, that awareness of such unusual association is important for clinicians to consider apoplexy in the differential, even if the initial CT imaging is not suspicious.