THE ANTERIOR-PITUITARY LOBE IN PATIENTS WITH CYSTIC CRANIOPHARYNGIOMAS - 3 CASES OF ASSOCIATED LYMPHOCYTIC HYPOPHYSITIS

Specimens of the anterior pituitary lobe were investigated histologica lly in 28 craniopharyngioma patients operated on transsphenoidally. Th e pituitary glands in 3 patients revealed lymphocytic invasion giving a histological appearance typical of lymphocytic hypophysitis (inciden ce: 11%). At follow-up examination all three patients with associated lymphocytic hypophysitis had complete pituitary insufficiency, whereas only 36% of the craniopharyngioma patients without associated lymphoc ytic hypophysitis were in this poor postoperative endocrine state. The phenomenon of associated lymphocytic hypophysitis in craniopharyngiom a patients has not been reported so far. This might be due to the fact that investigators have failed to systematically examine the anterior pituitary lobe in craniopharyngioma patients. The 60 cases of lymphoc ytic hypophysitis reported in the literature occurred, for the most pa rt, in women during late pregnancy or shortly after delivery. An auto- immune origin is assumed in this type of inflammation. In contrast to this pathophysiological mechanism, we assume a local induction of infl ammation resulting from the craniopharyngioma cyst in our 3 patients.