HYPOTHALAMIC ATROPHY PRESENTING AS AMENORRHEA AND SEXUAL INFANTILISM IN A FEMALE ADOLESCENT - A CASE-REPORT

A 17-year-old girl presented with amenorrhea, sexual immaturity and a remote history of head trauma. Provocative testing of the pituitary wi th thyrotropin releasing hormone, gonadotropin releasing hormone and i nsulin-induced hypoglycemia revealed intact pituitary function, with h ypothalamic insufficiency. Furthermore, magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated loss of the hypothalamic infundibulum. To our k nowledge, these structural defects have not been found with magnetic r esonance imaging in cases of hypothalamic atrophy. This case suggests that the infundibulum or pituitary stalk may be vulnerable to traumati c damage, leading to hypothalamic insufficiency persisting into adulth ood.