Waking up from Coronary Bypass Surgery and One Eye does not Move Right

Introduction

Complications of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) include acute oculomotor nerve palsy secondary to ischemic stroke and pituitary apoplexy. These can present with impairment of extraocular muscle function as well as involvement or sparing of the pupil.

Case Report

We report the case of a 58-year-old male admitted for elective CABG surgery for severe coronary artery disease and found to have a pupil-sparing partial oculomotor palsy post-procedure. Neurological examination revealed left pupil-sparing isolated medial rectus and levator palpebrae superioris paresis. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated acute midbrain infarction.

Conclusion

Acute pupil-sparing partial oculomotor nerve palsy should be recognized as a neurological complication of cardiac surgery. Pupillary involvement can be helpful in identifying the underlying etiology.     

Delayed pituitary apoplexy in patient with advanced prostate cancer treated with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHAs) are used in many clinical conditions, particularly prostate cancer. There have been a few case reports of apoplexy from a previously undiagnosed pituitary tumour, occurring within hours to days of initiation of GnRHA therapy. We report a case of delayed onset pituitary apoplexy following GnRHA therapy. A 71-year-old man presented three weeks after onset of headache and vision loss. On examination, he was blind in the right eye with an intact nasal field of vision in the left eye. Two months before presentation, he had a subcutaneous GnRHA (Goserelin) implant for treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer (Gleeson 4+3). An MRI scan revealed a large sellar/suprasellar mass. His follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were grossly elevated. A trans-sphenoidal endoscopic decompression of the pituitary tumour was performed. His vision improved post-operatively and his FSH, LH, testosterone, prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels returned to normal levels. Histopathologic studies revealed a pituitary adenoma, which stained positive for FSH and LH. The prostate cancer management was changed to an anti-androgen agent and a GnRH antagonist. This case demonstrates that pituitary apoplexy can develop up to eight weeks after the initiation of treatment for prostate cancer with GnRHAs.     

表现为动眼神经麻痹的垂体腺瘤卒中的诊治(附15例分析)

目的探讨垂体腺瘤卒中所致颅神经麻痹的手术疗效,提高术前诊断率。方法总结从2002年4月到2012年6月,15例合并动眼神经麻痹的垂体腺瘤患者的临床资料。男10例,女5例,年龄18~68岁,平均49.6岁;病程从6 d到7年;临床症状表现为头痛,视力下降,视野缺损,动眼神经麻痹,外展神经麻痹,垂体前叶功能低下等内分泌功能紊乱等;术前均行内分泌激素测定、垂体增强磁共振;所有患者均行经蝶入路手术切除垂体肿瘤。结果术后病理结果证实15例患者均存在垂体卒中,无手术死亡病例。术后动眼神经麻痹完全恢复9例,部分恢复3例,另外3例合并外展神经麻痹术后眼肌麻痹均未恢复。66.7%的患者视力改善(6/9),83.3%的视野缺损术后改善(5/6)。所有患者均获随访,平均随访时间12.4个月(6个月至2年)。结论垂体卒中合并动眼神经麻痹需尽快手术治疗,经蝶窦入路手术减压,肿瘤切除是治疗垂体卒中所致颅神经麻痹的安全有效的治疗方法。     

Pituitary apoplexy

Pituitary apoplexy is an infrequent complication of pituitary adenomas, caused by hemorrhagic or ischemic infarction in the tumor, with typical clinical presentation: severe headache of sudden onset, visual disturbances, sleep tendency or comma. Along the last ten years we have treated eight patients with pituitary apoplexy. The diagnostic was clinically established in all of them. Seven cases complained of severe headache and vomiting. Eight patients reported visual disturbances. In one case low level of consciousness and meningeal irritation were the only findings. In six cases the apoplexy was the first pituitary adenoma manifestation. MRI and CT studies demonstrated the pituitary stroke in seven patients. Surgical trans-sphenoidal decompression was performed in seven patients, requiring urgent management in only one case. All patients experienced a marked visual improvement, but there was no amelioration of endocrine preoperative disturbances in any case. We conclude that quick diagnosis, early onset of hormonal therapy and urgent or delayed trans-sphenoidal surgery, depending on clinical manifestations, constitute the principies of the appropriate treatment of pituitary apoplexy.     

Lupus anticoagulant and thrombosis following Henoch-Schonlein purpura

A male adolescent developed a sinovenous thrombosis 4 weeks following a Henoch-Schonlein purpura episode. A hypercoagulation evaluation revealed a positive lupus anticoagulant. This suggests an association between Henoch-Schonlein purpura and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and is the first report of sinovenous thrombosis after Henoch-Schonlein purpura that was likely due to elevated antiphospholipids. Children who develop Henoch-Schonlein purpura with neurologic features including headache should be evaluated for sinovenous thrombosis and a hypercoagulable state.     

Pituitary Apoplexy Following Mitral Valvuloplasty

Pituitary apoplexy is a rare but potentially life-threatening clinical syndrome caused by the sudden enlargement of a pituitary adenoma secondary to hemorrhage or infarction. Pituitary apoplexy after cardiac surgery is a very rare perioperative complication. Factors associated with open heart surgery that may lead to pituitary apoplexy include hemodynamic instability during cardiopulmonary bypass and systemic heparinization. We report a case of pituitary apoplexy after mitral valvuloplasty with cardiopulmonary bypass. After early pituitary tumor resection and hormonal replacement therapy, the patient made a full recovery.     

Specificity and sensitivity of diluted aPTT and anticardiolipin antibodies towards thrombosis and miscarriages in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

In 36 patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), lupus anticoagulant (LA), as assessed by aPTT and diluted aPTT, and anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) were studied. 14 patients, had a clinical history complicated by thrombosis and/or miscarriages. Among patients with thrombosis LA was positive in 42% and in 100% of patients when assessed by aPTT and diluted aPTT respectively; aCL were positive in 85.7% of patients. Among patients without a clinical history of thrombosis, 1 had prolonged aPTT, 3 had prolonged diluted aPTT and 5 had aCL positivity. Diluted aPTT was more sensitive than aPTT and aCL (p less than 0.01) to thrombosis and miscarriages; specificity to thrombosis and miscarriages ranged from 77.3% for aCL and 86.4% for diluted aPTT to 95.5% for aPTT but not significant differences were found. The study suggests that LA, as assessed by a sensitive test like diluted aPTT, is strongly associated to thrombosis and should therefore be considered an important risk factor.     

Carotid cavernous aneurysm presenting as pituitary apoplexy.

The authors report an interesting case with a ruptured internal carotid artery aneurysm that presented as a sellar haematoma mimicking radiologically a pituitary adenoma, and clinically a pituitary apoplexy. A 53-year-old woman presented with a 2-week history of episodic severe headache and vomiting associated, 3 days prior to admission, with left ophthalmoparesis and transient right hemiparesis. Brain MRI showed a large intra- and suprasellar mass suggestive of a pituitary macroadenoma. Hormonal profiles showed hyperprolactinaemia and subsequent cerebral angiography demonstrated a carotid cavernous aneurysm. The patient underwent surgery via a subfrontal approach to manage both lesions. At operation, the suspected pituitary adenoma was revealed to be a sellar haematoma; the aneurysm was successfully clipped. Postoperatively, the patient developed hypotension and right hemiparesis which, as well as the third nerve paresis, progressively improved to full recovery. At 12 months follow-up the patient is neurologically intact and generally well. The clinical features, the management of such a case and the importance of differential diagnosis in the acute stage are emphasised and discussed along with relevant literature.     

Cushing’s disease presenting with pituitary apoplexy

Pituitary tumour apoplexy is a rare but life threatening condition. Cushing’s disease usually presents with clinical features of Cushing’s syndrome. We report a 30-year-old male patient with Cushing’s disease who presented with severe headache and right third nerve palsy. MRI of the pituitary gland revealed a pituitary adenoma with infarction suggestive of apoplexy. After a transsphenoidal surgery he developed pan-hypopituitarism with diabetes insipidus. We also review the relevant literature.     

Pituitary apoplexy after cardiac surgery in a patient with subclinical pituitary adenoma: case report with review of literature

We report a case of pituitary apoplexy occurring in a 74-year-old patient 6 hours after cardiac surgery. The patient presented with confusion, unilateral ptosis and ophthalmoplegia. Neurological examination revealed right oculomotor nerve palsy and decreased level of consciousness. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a hemorrhagic and necrotic pituitary macroadenoma. After prompt endocrinological replacement therapy with hydrocortisone and levothyroxine, the confusion of the patient resolved. Removal of a non-functional macroadenoma with large necrotic areas resulted in full recovery. The physician should be aware of pituitary adenoma infarction after open cardiac surgery and should remember that it can be fatal or cause permanent neurological or endocrine damage without proper treatment. Surgical and endocrine treatment can be life-saving procedures.     

SIADH following pituitary adenoma apoplexy

The rare case of a patient with SIADH following pituitary adenoma apoplexy is reported. Since apoplexy did not exert any mass effect on surrounding structures, the patient was treated conservatively and the anterior pituitary gland insufficiency has been substituted adequately. Seven days after the apoplexy the patient again showed low serum–Na⁺ levels despite cortisol substitution. Diagnosis of SIADH was made. It is essential to be aware of this rare syndrome in patients with pituitary adenoma apoplexy.     

Sudden death from pituitary apoplexy in a patient presenting with an isolated sixth cranial nerve palsy.

A 68-year-old diabetic, hypertensive man presented with a left sixth cranial nerve palsy. MRI demonstrated an inhomogeneous sellar mass encroaching on the left cavernous sinus. Two days later, a left third cranial nerve palsy developed. Within 24 hours, the patient went into cardiac arrest and died. An autopsy showed hemorrhage within a pituitary macroadenoma ("pituitary apoplexy"). Pituitary apoplexy should be considered a cause of acute isolated sixth cranial nerve palsy and may represent a life-threatening emergency that can be averted with emergent hormonal replacement and hypophysectomy.     

Isolated fascicular oculomotor nerve palsy as the initial presentation of the antiphospholipid syndrome

This case report describes a 24-year-old female who presented with sudden onset of painless diplopia and ptosis in her left eye. Examination identified an isolated incomplete pupil-sparing left oculomotor nerve palsy. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated focal hyperintensity in the left midbrain with infarction suggested by diffusion-weighted imaging. A diagnosis of primary antiphospholipid syndrome was made with the demonstration of a positive lupus anticoagulant. Other autoimmune markers were present on initial assessment, but did not fulfil diagnostic criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus. Anticoagulation with warfarin was commenced, with gradual resolution of neurological deficits. This case illustrates an unusual initial manifestation of primary antiphospholipid syndrome causing midbrain stroke in a young woman.     

Subcutaneous heparin therapy during pregnancy: a need for concern at the time of delivery

Subcutaneous heparin is the treatment of choice for women requiring anticoagulant therapy during pregnancy. However, heparin therapy presents a management problem at delivery because of its potential to cause a persistent anticoagulant effect and thus increase the risk of bleeding. In order to avoid therapeutic complications it has been our practice to have women either discontinue their heparin injections with the onset of labour or to terminate heparin injections 12 h prior to elective induction. To determine the safety of our anticoagulant protocol at delivery we reviewed consecutive patients treated with subcutaneous heparin therapy during pregnancy, at our centre. Over a 23 month period we found that six of 11 women receiving subcutaneous heparin during pregnancy delivered while their aPTT was prolonged. In addition, three women received intravenous protamine sulphate prior to delivery and in one patient major bleeding occurred during an emergency cesarean section. Those women who had elevated aPTTs at the time of delivery all gave birth within 28 h of their last injection of heparin. In order to avoid a prolonged aPTT at delivery, we have now adopted a more conservative approach to the management of subcutaneous heparin use at term. Subcutaneous heparin is discontinued 24 h prior to commencing an elective induction of labour.     

Pituitary tumor apoplexy presenting as infective meningoencephalitis

We report on a case of a 80-year-old man who developed progressive drowsiness with headache, fever and signs of meningeal irritation 2 days after a head trauma. Suspecting an infective meningoencephalitis, the patient was treated with wide spectrum antibiotic and antiviral therapy. Brain CT scan revealed a previously unknown pituitary expansive lesion. A brain MRI study confirmed the presence of an intrasellar lesion, which presented remarkable contrast ring enhancement, and showed non-specific inflammatory tissue on the clivus, possibly responsible of the clinical features of sterile meningitis. A biopsy proven diagnosis of pituitary apoplexy was made. This case highlights MRI as an important investigation for earlier recognition of pituitary apoplexy that can present with a clinical picture resembling an infective meningoencephalitis.     

Pituitary apoplexy as a consequence of lymphocytic adenohypophysitis in a pregnant woman: a case report

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: A patient with pituitary apoplexy resulting from lymphocytic adenohypophysitis, which caused visual disturbance during pregnancy, is described. This is the first report of such case. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 23-year-old primigravida in her 25th week of gestation experienced headache and bitemporal hemianopsia of sudden onset. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a large pituitary mass with intratumoral hemorrhage. Although conservative treatment with intravenous glycerol improved the symptoms partially, the visual symptoms worsened again 6 weeks later. After delivering a girl by scheduled caesarean section her visual symptoms improved. Despite the symptomatic improvement, MRI showed the chiasmatic compression by the enlarged pituitary gland had not changed. Therefore, trans-sphenoidal surgery to decompress the chiasm was performed. Necrotic tissue was seen exuding behind the enlarged pituitary gland and adenohypophysitis with bleeding (apoplexy) was diagnosed histologically. After follow-up for 40 months, she was doing well without any visual or neurological deficits. CONCLUSION: Although relatively rare, pituitary apoplexy as a consequence of lymphocytic adenohypophysitis should be borne in mind when a pregnant woman presents with headache and visual disturbance of sudden onset.     

Antiphospholipid antibodies and ischemic neuropathy following cardiac surgery

Sciatic nerve palsy is an uncommon complication of cardiac surgery and is thought to be induced by a combination of reduced femoral artery blood flow, small vessel vascular disease or prolonged hypoxia. We here describe a new case which is the first described with transient elevation of antiphospholipid antibodies. Although transient elevation of lupus coagulation inhibitor is known to occur frequently in patients treated in an intensive care unit, there are very few data about the possible role of antiphospholipid antibodies in the generation of ischemic neuropathies. We can not prove that the ischemic neuropathy in our case has been favored by the presence of lupus coagulation inhibitor and antiphospholipid antibodies as the occurrence of the symptoms seemed to precede the transient elevation of lupus coagulation inhibitor. This case suggests that antiphospholipid antibodies and lupus coagulation inhibitor should be included in the work up of patients who present nerve damage after cardiac surgery but further studies are needed to ascertain this association.     

Cranial nerve palsies accompanying pituitary tumour

We reviewed 12 patients with pituitary tumour and cranial nerve palsy to analyse the clinical characteristics, the radiographic appearances, and the outcome after surgery. All patients had pathologically nonfunctioning macroadenomas with evidence of apoplexy. The third cranial nerve was the most frequently affected, followed by the sixth and fourth cranial nerves. Third cranial nerve palsy manifested as a symptom sequence comprising mydriasis, followed by limitation of gaze and ptosis. These symptoms recovered in reverse order of development. The time taken for recovery of cranial nerve palsy after surgery was significantly correlated with the length of time between the onset of symptoms and surgery. Pituitary apoplexy appears to be the primary cause of cranial nerve palsy with pituitary tumour. Early surgical intervention is most likely to bring about rapid recovery from cranial nerve dysfunction.     

Pituitary Apoplexy due to Pituitary Adenoma Infarction

Cause of pituitary apoplexy has been known as hemorrhage, hemorrhagic infarction or infarction of pituitary adenoma or adjacent tissues of pituitary gland. However, pituitary apoplexy caused by pure infarction of pituitary adenoma has been rarely reported. Here, we present the two cases pituitary apoplexies caused by pituitary adenoma infarction that were confirmed by transsphenoidal approach (TSA) and pathologic reports. Pathologic report of first case revealed total tumor infarction of a nonfunctioning pituitary macroadenoma and second case partial tumor infarction of ACTH secreting pituitary macroadenoma. Patients with pituitary apoplexy which was caused by pituitary adenoma infarction unrelated to hemorrhage or hemorrhagic infarction showed good response to TSA treatment. Further study on the predisposing factors of pituitary apoplexy and the mechanism of infarction in pituitary adenoma is necessary.