Abstract

This 59 year old female presented to hospital in early December following a sudden collapse at home. A subsequent CT scan revealed evidence of acute subarachnoid haemorrhage. CT angiography did not reveal any evidence of underlying aneurysm and the cause at this stage remained unknown. Her conscious level did not improve over the subsequent days of her hospital admission and a subsequent MRI scan was requested. This showed a mass lesion in the sella, bulging into the suprasellar cistern. It showed a low signal on T2 and high signal on T1 with patchy areas of contrast enhancement. A presumptive diagnosis of a pituitary adenoma with possible apoplexy was made. Given her persistent low GCS and the development of
hydrocephalus, she was sent for an urgent transphenoidal resection of the lesion which was subsequently submitted for pathological analysis.

What is/are?

1 : What is the diagnosis & what stain(s) would you need to confirm the diagnosis?
2 : Are there any particular molecular characteristics of this lesion?
3 : What is the prognosis of this lesion in adults compared to children?
4 : How common in SAH seen in association with pituitary lesions?