[Primary intrasellar germinoma with amenorrhea--a case report].

A 22-year-old woman with a history of headaches and secondary amenorrhea is reported. Her physical examination showed a visual acuity loss. An endocrine evaluation revealed hypopituitarism and an elevated level of serum prolactin. Polytomography demonstrated an enlarged sella with a double floor. A computerized tomography (CT) scan revealed an enhancing lesion within the sella turcica with an extension into the suprasellar cistern. A lumbar puncture was performed and the cerebrospinal fluid was found to contain no tumor cells. The patient subsequently underwent a trassphenoidal exploration of the sella and an intrasellar tumor removal. A histological analysis of the surgical specimen revealed a germinoma. A total dose of 3500 rads with lineac was applied to the whole brain postoperatively. Her vision is now normal. The pathogenesis of an intracranial germinoma is briefly discussed, and a review of the literature discloses 48 previous reports of germinoma.