Combined chronic lymphocytic leukemia and prolactinoma: a rare occurrence in a patient presenting with pituitary apoplexy

Case report

Khaled M. KrishtDepartment of Neurosurgery, Clinical Neurosciences Center, and

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 M.D.
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Cheryl A. PalmerDepartment of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

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William T. CouldwellDepartment of Neurosurgery, Clinical Neurosciences Center, and

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Page Range:
924–928
Volume/Issue:
Volume 119: Issue 4
DOI link:
https://doi.org/10.3171/2013.4.JNS122041
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The authors describe a rare case of combined pituitary chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and prolactinoma in a 77-year-old man presenting with apoplexy. This case highlights the importance of evaluating the pituitary gland in patients with CLL who present with clinical manifestations of apoplexy as well as the need to carefully evaluate pathological specimens from the gland for the presence of lymphocytic cells in those patients. This is the first reported case of a combined CLL–prolactinoma pituitary lesion presenting with apoplexy.

Abbreviation used in this paper:

CLL = chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
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Contributor Notes

Address correspondence to: William T. Couldwell, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Neurosurgery, University of Utah, 175 North Medical Drive East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132. email: neuropub@hsc.utah.edu.

Please include this information when citing this paper: published online May 17, 2013; DOI: 10.3171/2013.4.JNS122041.

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