Pituitary apoplexy: a pathologic entity from an otolaryngologist's view.

A case of pituitary apoplexy, which was initially misdiagnosed as 'acute frontal sinusitis', is reported. The presenting symptoms and signs of the patient were headache, moderate fever, left periorbital edema, marked tenderness over the left frontal sinus and purulent secretion over the left middle turbinate and nasopharynx. These clinical symptoms were wrongly perceived as complicated frontal sinusitis. The CT scan and the elective right carotid angiography showed a pituitary adenoma. Therefore pituitary apoplexy of a preexisting pituitary adenoma was diagnosed. The patient underwent surgical removal of the adenoma and his postoperative course was uneventful. Thus otolaryngologists should consider pituitary apoplexy in the differential diagnosis of pathologies concerning the anatomic area of the anterior cranial fossa. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel