Pituitary Apoplexy After a Major Abdominal Surgery: A Case Report

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 16; no. 1; p. e52966
• Main Authors: Alshahrani, Abdulaziz M, Al Bshabshe, Ali, Al Shahrani, Mohammed B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 25-01-2024; Cureus
• Subjects: Abdomen; Abdominal surgery; Anticoagulants; Blood pressure; Case reports; Consciousness; Cysts; Electrolytes; General Surgery; Headaches; Hemodynamics; Hypertension; Intensive care; Intracranial pressure; Ischemia; Medical imaging; Neurosurgery; Otolaryngology; Pregnancy; Tumors; hepatic hydatid cyst resection; pituitary adenoma; pituitary apoplexy; severe headache; major abdominal surgery
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.52966

Pituitary apoplexy is a major complication of pituitary adenoma, and the diagnosis might be challenging if the patient presents with signs of meningeal irritation or electrolyte imbalance. It can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated appropriately. Apoplexy is the first clinical presentation in the majority of pituitary adenoma cases. The pathophysiology of pituitary apoplexy involves bleeding and/or ischemia of pituitary enlargement. In this case report, we present a case of pituitary apoplexy that developed after a major abdominal surgery. The patient presented with headache, hypertension, and visual loss. After confirming the diagnosis through a CT scan, the patient underwent a transsphenoidal surgical decompression.