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Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
An ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma within the sphenoid sinus
Kunihiro Suzuki1, Yoshiyuki Hattori, Chie Aoki
1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Tochigi. kuni-s@dokkyomed.ac.jp
Abstract:
A 68-year-old woman developed Cushingoid features three months prior to admission. She was found to have a markedly elevated plasma ACTH-cortisol level. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass in the left sphenoidal sinus, which had become enlarged to a point where it could not be removed by transsphenoidal surgery. We decided to proceed with radiation therapy to shrink the tumor. However, it was ineffective. Despite a reduction in serum cortisol levels using metyrapone, she died of septic shock. We describe a rare case of an ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma within the sphenoid sinus.
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