Intrasellar cysticercosis presenting as a pituitary tumor: successful transsphenoidal cystectomy with preservation of pituitary function.
A 42-year-old woman from El Salvador presented with arthralgias and headache. She was found to have an enlarged sella with an intrasellar mass. Transsphenoidal exploration of the sella revealed a cysticercus. The cyst was removed and normal pituitary function was retained. Review of the literature showed three previously reported confirmed or suspected cases of intrasellar cysticercosis: in two, the diagnosis was made at autopsy; in the third, a patient with hypopituitarism, intrasellar cysticercosis was suspected in life but never confirmed histologically. Transsphenoidal cystectomy successfully treated our patient without compromise of pituitary function and is recommended for similar cases.
D000328:Adult; D003551:Cysticercosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000502:physiology; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011011:Pneumoencephalography; D012658:Sella Turcica / Q000601:surgery