Lymphocytic Hypophysitis associated with Pregnancy / 대한내분비학회지

ABSTRACT

Lymphocytic hypophysitis is a rare inflammatory disease of the pituitary gland that is often recognized as a cause of hypopituitarism and may be due to the autoimmune pituitary destruction that usually occurs in women in the peripartum period. We report a rare case of lymphocytic hypophysitis in a 26 year-old woman presenting with nausea and headaches for 2 months after an artificial abortion of her second pregnancy. Magnetic resonance imaging, with enhancement, showed an expanding 1.0x1.0 cm sized sellar mass. The patient underwent transsphenoidal surgery with a preoperative diagnosis of pituitary macroadenoma. A histological examination revealed diffuse lymphocytes and plasma cells infiltration which are characteristic of lymphocytic hypophysitis. Here, we present the first reported case of a pregnant woman with lymphocytic hypophysitis with a review of the literature on this increasingly recognized condition.