Pituitary lymphoma presenting as fever of unknown origin.
An 86-yr-old woman presented with fever of unknown origin. When laboratory evaluation revealed partial hypopituitarism, a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the head was performed and revealed a sellar mass consistent with a pituitary adenoma. Only after other possible etiologies for fever were excluded did she undergo transsphenoidal resection of the sellar mass, which proved to be a B-cell lymphoma. Primary central nervous system lymphoma of the pituitary region is a rare cause of a sellar mass, and this is the first reported case of pituitary lymphoma whose presenting manifestation was fever of unknown origin. Several disease processes can manifest themselves as fever and a sellar mass, including lymphomas. In our case, only surgical biopsy could make a diagnosis and distinguish this process from the more common pituitary adenoma.
Landman
R E
RE
Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, USA.
Wardlaw
S L
SL
McConnell
R J
RJ
Khandji
A G
AG
Bruce
J N
JN
Freda
P U
PU
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005335:Fever of Unknown Origin / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012658:Sella Turcica