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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
[Pituitary apoplexy in a young woman]
Anna Lewis1, Anne Elisabeth Jarløv, Kirsten Holm
1Børne- og Ungeafdelingen, Nordsjællands Hospital, Dyrehavevej 29, 3400 Hillerød. anna.elisabeth.lewis@regionh.dk.
Abstract:
Pituitary apoplexy occurs when a preexisting pituitary adenoma undergoes acute haemorrhage, infarct or both. The patho-genesis is not fully understood but macroadenomas and prolactinomas have been reported as being predisposed to apoplexy. Only a few cases are described in the paediatric population. We present a 17-year-old woman with secondary amenorrhoea, headache and blurred vision. An MRI showed a pituitary apoplexy in a preexisting macroadenoma. The majority of milder cases resolve spontaneously. Close monitoring of the pituitary function is important to detect pituitary insufficiency witch may need long-term hormone replacement therapy.
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