title: Aneurysm of the internal carotid artery simulating pituitary tumor with panhypopituitarism--a case report.
abstract: A 59-year-old female patient presented with conscious disturbance and hyponatremia. Baseline endocrine studies revealed secondary hypothyroidism and hypoadrenalism. Further studies of skull X-ray, brain CT scan, dynamic endocrine tests and visual field examination favored pituitary tumor with panhypopitutarism. Trans-sphenoid surgical intervention was arranged. However the management was changed because the preoperative carotid angiography revealed the mass lesion over the cavernous sinus region was an aneurysm, not a pituitary tumor. The patient refused surgical intervention for the aneurysm and received thyroxine and cortisone replacement until the present time. Because the surgical treatment of an aneurysm is different from a pituitary tumor, we reported this case to emphasize the importance of routine carotid angiography in the evaluation of the sellar mass.
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000783:Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*