[Pituitary abscess: report of two cases and a review]

Two cases of pituitary abscesses are reported. The first case was a 22-year-old female who was admitted with 14 months history of intermittent fever and headache followed by amenorrhea and polyuria. Plain craniograms showed no remarkable changes on the sella turcica. Direct coronal CT demonstrated a cystic lesion with a ring-like enhanced capsule in the pituitary complex with the apparent bulging of the pituitary top surface. On dynamic CT, the cystic lesion showed no remarkable increase in density. Transsphenoidal surgery was performed and a purulent materials was drained by cutting the underlying fibrous pituitary tissue. Pathological specimen revealed a marked inflammatory reaction around the degenerative pituitary gland. The second case was a 27-year-old female who underwent transsphenoidal excision of craniopharyngioma on May 12, 1983. Postoperatively she did well with the hormonal replacement therapy until 9 months after surgery when a follow up direct coronal CT revealed a cystic lesion with ring-like enhancement in the pituitary fossa. Purulent material was found at transsphenoidal surgery. Pathological specimen from the hard capsule was a chronic inflammatory fibrous tissue without tumorous component. Over seventy cases of pituitary abscesses have been reported previously, but the majority of them were secondary infections associated with systemic sepsis, chronic sphenoid sinusitis or pituitary tumors. Primary pituitary abscesses were rare and would be difficult to be diagnosed preoperatively without an aid of recent CT technology. Thirty cases in the literature since 1970 are reviewed and its clinical pictures and radiological findings are discussed.