[Panhypopituitarism following basilar artery dissection with extensive brainstem and cerebellar infarction: a case...

We experienced a patient with panhypopituitarism which occurred following extensive brainstem and cerebellar infarction due to dissection of basilar artery (BAD). Panhypopituitarism followed by BAD has not yet been reported in the literature. The patient was a 67-years-old man who was admitted to our hospital because of a sudden onset of consciousness disturbance and vomiting. On the day of admission, he was drowsy and had left IIIrd nerve palsy, skew deviation, occular bobbing, and left hemiparesis. His neurological state was rapidly deteriorated, and fell almost into apneic state, requiring artificial ventilation for a week. Cerebral angiography demonstrated a double lumen sign of the basilar artery confirming the diagnosis of dissection. There were extensive hypodensities in the brainstem and bilateral cerebellar hemispheres on CT. On day 20, he suddenly became shocked following infection. Even after the effective and successful treatment of infection, severe hypotension continued that required administration of chatecholamine agents. Laboratory examinations revealed that he had panhypopituitarism. Supplement therapy with adrenocortical hormones made his circulatory state improved, and could finally be stopped on day 100. In the present case, subclinical hypopituitarism was considered to occur mainly from compression of the pituitary stalk and hypothalamus by the enlarged BAD. Increased intracranial pressure and upward herniation may also have made the pituitary function worse, and the infection finally triggered the adrenal crisis. The BAD occurs more frequently than previously considered, and should be kept in mind as a cause of secondary panhypopituitarism.