Pituitary Apoplexy

A rare pituitary disease characterized by hemorrhagic or non-hemorrhagic necrosis of the pituitary gland. Clinical manifestations typically comprise sudden and severe headache (often with nausea and vomiting), visual disturbances (visual-field defects, loss of visual acuity), oculomotor palsies, and variable degrees of altered consciousness, ranging from lethargy to coma. Acute endocrine dysfunction may also be present, most commonly corticotropic deficiency with severe hypotension and hyponatremia as well as secondary adrenal failure, but also thyrotropic and gonadotropic deficiency.