Pituitary apoplexy in a young woman

: Pituitary apoplexy occurs when a preexisting pituitary adenoma undergoes acute haemorrhage, infarct or both. The patho-genesis is not fully understood but macroadenomas and prolactinomas have been reported as being predisposed to apoplexy. Only a few cases are described in the paediatric population. We present a 17-year-old woman with secondary amenorrhoea, headache and blurred vision. An MRI showed a pituitary apoplexy in a preexisting macroadenoma. The majority of milder cases resolve spontaneously. Close monitoring of the pituitary function is important to detect pituitary insufficiency witch may need long-term hormone replacement therapy.