[Pituitary apoplexy secondary to pituitary macroadenoma, a diagnostic challenge].

BACKGROUND: Pituitary apoplexy is a clinical syndrome reflecting a rapid expansion of sellar content, typically secondary to a stroke in a previous pituitary adenoma. This pathology is a rare complication, and, therefore, underdiagnosed. The consequences of a delay in the diagnosis are translated into serious functional and even deadly complications for the patient.

CASE REPORT: We present the case of a 42-year-old male patient, who began his condition with a diffuse clinical setting, characterized by headache, amblyopia, and alterations of consciousness. The diagnosis was pituitary apoplexy, and secondary hypopituitarism, and it was treated in a conservative way, with steroid anti-inflammatories and hormonal substitution. The patient presented a psychotic episode induced by steroids, due to the supraphysiological doses used, necessary to reverse the existing neurological damage; however, it ended in a restitutio ad integrum 15 days after medical treatment, without requiring neuro-surgical intervention.

CONCLUSIONS: The clinical case presented and its resolution are clear evidence of the importance of a timely and adequate diagnosis, given that being detected in early stages, and treated early according to the evolution of the pathology, will not always require surgical intervention, allowing a total neurological restitution.