[Pregnancy after spontaneous necrosis of a pituitary macroadenoma]

Although infrequent, recovery of pituitary function after necrosis of a pituitary adenoma is not an exceptional event. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman with previous surgery for an adrenal mass and signs of hypercortisolism which failed to revert postoperatively. She then developed pituitary apoplexy followed by hypopituitarism, as confirmed by hormonal measurements. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed evidence of a pituitary macroadenoma with signs of necrosis, impinging on the optic chiasm, which was excised by the trans-sphenoidal approach. Nine months later, hormone tests indicated a near total recovery of pituitary functions. The patient had a successful pregnancy three years later. After a 5-year follow-up, she remained clinically asymptomatic, with moderate reduction in cortisol and blunted growth hormone (GH) response to hypoglycemia and MRI failed to disclose any residual tumor, except for a partial arachnoidocele.