SUPRASELLAR MENINGIOMA SUBSEQUENT TO TREATMENT FOR A PITUITARY-ADENOMA - CASE-REPORT

The authors report a case of suprasellar meningioma that developed 16 years after surgery and radiation therapy for a pituitary adenoma. The patient had significant recovery of visual loss following excision of the meningioma. We believe that this tumor was induced by radiation r eceived by the patient previously and we stress that tissue diagnosis should be obtained in patients who develop a recurrent tumor after a l ong period following initial radiotherapy. Radiation induced meningiom a has to be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient wh o has a recurrence after therapeutic radiation. This is especially ess ential in the absence of biochemical and clinical signs of a previousl y functioning pituitary adenoma and before the initiation of medical t herapy for recurrent pituitary adenomas. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Science Inc.