Abstract

VAIANI, Elisa et al. Atypical presentation of a giant prolactinoma in a 15-year-old boy. Arch. argent. pediatr. [online]. 2018, vol.116, n.2, pp.e325-e330. ISSN 0325-0075.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5546/aap.2018.e325.

Giant prolactinomas are rare pituitary adenomas characterized by their great local invasion. In this paper, we report a 15-year-old male with left retro-ocular pain and ipsilateral exophthalmos of 4 months of evolution, secondary to a tumour in the base of the skull that invaded the orbit. Hormonal studies revealed serum prolactin of 6913,7 ng/ml (normal value < 20), confirming the diagnosis of giant prolactinoma. The patient started treatment with the dopaminergic agonist cabergoline in increasing doses. After 7 months of follow-up the prolactin had decreased to 349.8 ng/ml and the tumor volume was reduced by 70%, without presenting adverse effects to the treatment. The patient was asymptomatic and had restarted puberty. The rapid remission of symptoms without the need for invasive treatments underlines the importance of considering the diagnosis of prolactinoma among the possible differential diagnoses of tumor of the skull base.

Keywords : Giant prolactinoma; Exophthalmos; Adolescent; Hyperprolactinemia; Cabergoline.