IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 47 / Issue 3 / DOI: 10.31083/j.ceog.2020.03.5257
Open Access Case Report
Pituitary apoplexy developing during pregnancy: escape from the verge of death
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1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Izmir Ataturk Education and Research Hospital, Karabaglar, Izmir, Turkey
*Correspondence: hakancokmez@hotmail.com (HAKAN COKMEZ)
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 2020, 47(3), 429–431; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.ceog.2020.03.5257
Submitted: 17 May 2019 | Accepted: 24 July 2019 | Published: 15 June 2020
Copyright: © 2020 Cokmez and Bayram Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Abstract

Objective: Pituitary apoplexy during pregnancy is extremely rare. Hypofunction of multiple glands due to pituitary hormone deficiency can be life threatening for the fetus and mother. A poorly functioning pituitary gland presents a variety of neurological and endocrinological symptoms, making it difficult to diagnose. The authors present a case of pituitary apoplexy in a 24-week pregnant woman who was not previously diagnosed with pituitary adenoma. Case Report: A 26-year-old woman who was 24 weeks into her first pregnancy presented with pituitary apoplexy, which included symptoms of increasing headache, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, and hypotensive attacks. With a multidisciplinary approach involving the departments of neurosurgery, endocrinology, gynaecology, and obstetrics, the patient underwent rapid replacement therapy and pituitary tumour excision. Pregnancy ended at the 39th week without any feto-maternal complication. Conclusion: Pituitary apoplexy developing during pregnancy is rare and, difficult to diagnose, and requires a multidisciplinary approach to achieve a successful outcome.

Keywords
Pituitary apoplexy
Pituitary neoplasms
Pregnancy
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