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Updated: Aug 7, 2026
Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Foreign body granuloma mimicking pituitary adenoma: Case report and literature review
Marco Tulio Sette Dos Santos1, Daniel Joaquim Diogo Moreira Barbosa1, Daniel Braga Cliquet1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital de Clínicas José de Alencar, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Background:
Foreign body granuloma of the pituitary gland is an exceptionally rare inflammatory lesion that may mimic recurrent adenoma on neuroimaging.
Case Description:
We report the case of a 44-year-old woman who previously underwent endonasal endoscopic surgery for a nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma and later developed a sellar mass secondary to a foreign body granulomatous reaction. Magnetic resonance imaging suggested tumor recurrence; however, gadolinium-enhanced imaging was not performed because of the patient's known gadolinium allergy. Histopathological examination revealed xanthogranulomatous inflammation and a multinucleated giant-cell reaction to the suture material, without evidence of neoplastic recurrence.
Conclusion:
This case highlights the diagnostic challenges associated with postoperative sellar lesions and emphasizes the importance of histopathological confirmation in distinguishing foreign body granulomas from recurrent pituitary adenomas.