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. 2020 Apr 17;4(2):116-120.
doi: 10.5811/cpcem.2019.12.45546. eCollection 2020 May.

55-year-old Woman with Headache, Vomiting, and Visual Disturbance

Lana Shaker  1 , Jill Ripper  1 , Tiffany Murano  1
Affiliations

55-year-old Woman with Headache, Vomiting, and Visual Disturbance

Lana Shaker et al. Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med. .

Abstract

Case presentation: A 55-year-old woman with a past medical history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and iron deficiency anemia presented to the emergency department with three days of headache, nausea, vomiting, and visual changes. Her vital signs were within normal limits. She was noted to have a left cranial nerve six palsy on exam.

Results: Her laboratory testing revealed leukocytosis, hyponatremia, and hypokalemia. A non-contrast computed tomography scan of the head revealed an enlarged sella turcica and pituitary gland with hemorrhage and deviation of the optic chiasm.

Conclusion: Her symptoms improved and she was discharged from the hospital in stable condition.

Keywords: headache; pituitary adenoma; pituitary apoplexy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: By the CPC-EM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. The authors disclosed none.

Figures

Image 1
Image 1
Normal sinus rhythm at 64 beats per minute with sinus arrhythmia.
Image 2
Image 2
Computed tomography of the head without contrast demonstrating enlarged pituitary gland with increased density consistent with hemorrhage (arrows).
Image 3
Image 3
Computed tomography of the head without contrast demonstrating enlarged sella turcica and deviated optic chiasm (arrow).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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