Keyhole surgery for isolated pituitary stalk metastatic tumors: a case report and review of the literature

Solitary metastatic pituitary stalk tumors account for approximately less than 1% of all pituitary gland tumors and present difficulties in clinical diagnosis because most of them are clinically silent and usually too small to cause radiological changes. With the advance of microsurgical techniques, keyhole surgery is indicated to obtain a specimen for pathological diagnosis and possible removal of the tumor. Here, we reported a patient who has a history of advanced breast cancer and who complained of polyuria and polydypsia. Magnetic resonance images revealed a solitary tumor over the pituitary stalk. A right supraorbital craniotomy was performed and the pathological report confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer. This is the first case report using keyhole surgery to confirm the pathology and improve the clinical symptoms. The relevant literature is also reviewed.