Pituitary apoplexy during therapy with cabergoline in an adolescent male with prolactin-secreting macroadenoma.

Abstract

Pituitary adenomas are rare in young patients. Prolactinomas are the most common type of pituitary adenomas in children older than 12 years, occurring more often in girls, at a 4.5:1 female-to-male ratio. The clinical presentation may vary according to the age and sex of the patient. Pituitary apoplexy is a rare life-threatening condition caused by a sudden infarction or hemorrhagic necrosis of the pituitary containing an adenoma. A wide variety of conditions can trigger apoplexy such as pituitary irradiation, general anesthesia, traumatic head injury, pituitary stimulatory tests and a wide variety of medications including bromocriptine. We report a case of a 16-year-old male patient with puberty arrest harboring a macroprolactinoma, who developed a sudden clinical picture of pituitary apoplexy during the 12th month of treatment with cabergoline.

• Authors: Mirta Knoepfelmacher, Miriam C Gomes, Maria E Melo, Berenice B Mendonca
• Journal: Pituitary (Pituitary) Vol. 7 Issue 2 Pg. 83-7 ( 2004) ISSN: 1386-341X [Print] United States
• PMID: 15761656 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents
• Ergolines
• Prolactin
• Cabergoline

Topics

• Adenoma (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Adolescent
• Antineoplastic Agents (adverse effects)
• Cabergoline
• Ergolines (adverse effects)
• Humans
• Hypopituitarism (diagnosis)
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Male
• Pituitary Diseases (chemically induced)
• Pituitary Neoplasms (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Prolactin (metabolism)
• Prolactinoma (drug therapy)
• Stroke (chemically induced)