Definition:

Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is a clinical syndrome of headache, visual deficits, ophthalmoplegia, and alteration in mental status resulting from the sudden hemorrhage or infarction of a pituitary adenoma. Infarction of a normal gland also may occur in certain circumstances. Its manifestations are variable, ranging from a clinically benign event to a catastrophic presentation with permanent neurologic deficits or even death.