Post-trauma hypopituitarism: a case report

BACKGROUND: Post-trauma hypopituitarism is a rare disease, accounting for o nly 3% of all cases of hypopituitarism reported in the literature. CASE REPORT: A 56-year old woman developed central diabetes insipidus immed iately after severe cranio-facial trauma. Four years later, she suffered se vere asthenia and hypoglycemia faintness. The diagnosis of isolated cortico trope insufficiency was retained. Magnetic resonance imaging evidenced an i ntrasellar arachnoidocele with extinction of the posterior pituitary gland' s spontaneous hypersignal. DISCUSSION: Most cases of post-trauma hypopituitarism occur after high-ener gy head trauma. Hypopituitarism exceptionally involves only one hormone, pa rticularly growth hormone. The pathogenesis involves hypothalamic failure m ore often than pituitary gland failure.