[The hypophysis and haemoblastoses]

In necropsies of 165 patients with malignant haemoblastoses, infiltrates in the pituitary were found in 38 cases (23%). The most frequent occurrence was found in lymphoblastic leucosis (33.3%) and in non-Hodgkin lymphomas (29%). Hypophyseal manifestations were found in 21% for myoblastic leucosis and in 5.5% in case of Hodgkin lymphomas. As regards the location, the capsula showed an affection of 55.2%, the anterior and posterior lobes together one of 21.1%, the neurohypophysis one of 15.8% and the anterior lobe one of 7.9%. There are different opinions with regard to the development: exclusively metastatic processes or local formation of the infiltrates. The latter opinion is favoured by the frequent detection of cells of exemplary haemopoiesis between the Dorsum sellae and the outer layer of the hypophyseal capsule (Stratum periostale) in patients without haemoblastosis as well as by the fact that in half of the patients the clinical picture of meningosis leucotica only developed in the stage of haematological full remission, that is, when there were no longer any blastomatous cells in the blood.