title: Pituitary apoplexy during therapy with cabergoline in an adolescent male with prolactin-secreting macroadenoma.
abstract: Pituitary adenomas are rare in young patients. Prolactinomas are the most common type of pituitary adenomas in children older than 12 years, occurring more often in girls, at a 4.5:1 female-to-male ratio. The clinical presentation may vary according to the age and sex of the patient. Pituitary apoplexy is a rare life-threatening condition caused by a sudden infarction or hemorrhagic necrosis of the pituitary containing an adenoma. A wide variety of conditions can trigger apoplexy such as pituitary irradiation, general anesthesia, traumatic head injury, pituitary stimulatory tests and a wide variety of medications including bromocriptine. We report a case of a 16-year-old male patient with puberty arrest harboring a macroprolactinoma, who developed a sudden clinical picture of pituitary apoplexy during the 12th month of treatment with cabergoline.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Hospital das Clínicas, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brasil. mirta@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Mirta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knoepfelmacher
authors.forename: Miriam C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Berenice B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Mendonca
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D000293:Adolescent; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000077465:Cabergoline; D004873:Ergolines / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000175:diagnosis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010900:Pituitary Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism*; D015175:Prolactinoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D020521:Stroke / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004873:Ergolines; D011388:Prolactin; D000077465:Cabergoline