Pituitary apoplexy
Pituitary infarction is the death of an area of tissue in the pituitary gland, a small gland joined to the hypothalamus (part of the brain). The pituitary produces many of the hormones that control essential body processes.
Pituitary infarction is most commonly caused by bleeding due to a non-cancerous tumor of the pituitary. When this bleeding occurs in a woman during or immediately after childbirth, it is called Sheehan syndrome.
Risk factors for pituitary infarction include:
However, in most cases, the cause is not clear.
Melmed S, Kleinberg D. Anterior Pituitary. In: Kronenberg HM, Melmed S, Polonsky KS, Larsen PR. Kronenberg: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 8.