Sphenoid Mucocele with Intracranial Extension: An Anatomic Perspective

Diagnosis of pituitary abscess and treatment via transsphenoidal surgery: experience from 15 cases

OBJECTIVE

Pituitary abscess is an often misdiagnosed, rare clinical disorder. To improve diagnostic accuracy and the efficacy of surgical and antibiotic therapy for patients with pituitary abscess, herein, we retrospectively reviewed 15 patients who presented with pituitary abscesses from 2005 to 2022.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

PATIENTS

Fifteen patients underwent transsphenoidal surgery and received antibiotic treatment.

MEASUREMENTS

Complete details regarding medical history, clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, imaging studies, and treatment strategies were obtained for all patients.

RESULTS

Most patients presented with hypopituitarism and headaches, while some presented with fever, visual disturbances, and diabetes insipidus (DI). Abscesses showed significant annular enhancement post gadolinium injection. In most patients, pituitary abscess can be cured via microscopic or endoscopic drainage of the abscess followed by antibiotic treatment. Complete cure of pituitary abscess was observed in nine patients, with six cases of prolonged hypopituitarism and only one case of recurrence. Long-term hormone replacement therapy was effective in the postoperative management of hypopituitarism.

CONCLUSIONS

The typical manifestations of pituitary abscess include hypopituitarism and headaches; the presence of an enhanced ring at the edge of the mass on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance images (MRI) is highly suggestive of pituitary abscess. We recommend antibiotic treatment for 4-6 weeks postoperatively, based on the results of bacterial cultures or metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS).

Sphenoid sinus mucocele as an unusual differential diagnosis in diving injuries

Sphenoid sinus mucocele is a rare cystic lesion. It grows gradually and causes visual disturbances, ocular motility abnormalities and headache due to cavernous sinus compression. Sudden change in sinus cavity volume by a barotrauma may compress a mucocele and precipitate symptoms that may easily be confused with decompression sickness. A diver suffering from vertigo, nausea, blurry vision and hearing loss following uneventful dives is presented in this report. He underwent hyperbaric oxygen treatment for inner ear decompression sickness but later was diagnosed as sphenoid sinus mucocele. A high index of suspicion is necessary to capture rare conditions like mucocele in the differential diagnosis for divers with symptoms suggesting vestibulocochlear origin. To our knowledge, only one sphenoid sinus mucocele case presenting as a diving injury has been previously reported.