Pituitary apoplexy in the setting of coronary angiography

Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is a rare but potentially life-threatening event. Typically, it results from hemorrhage into a pituitary adenoma, although cases affecting the intact gland have been reported. PA may occur spontaneously or in a setting of certain diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The association of PA and contrast administration in the setting of neuroimaging have been postulated. The authors report a case of PA following coronary angiography. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this scenario has not been previously reported. A 66-year-old woman with a congenital septal defect underwent coronary angiography that was technically uncomplicated. After the procedure, the patient experienced retro-orbital pain and developed ophthalmoplegia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a hemorrhagic sellar mass extending into the cavernous sinus. A 3-month follow-up MRI revealed cystic changes. The patient expired 4 months later because of cardiorespiratory failure. PA in the absence of adenoma was confirmed on autopsy. The authors hypothesize that apoplexy here was related to the administration of Omnipaque in combination with the anticoagulation effect of heparin.