Clinical features and endoscopic findings of pituicytoma in the sellar region: A case report and review of the literature

We report a rare case of pituicytoma occurring in the sellar region resected by endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery (ETSS). We suggest useful indicators for the accurate diagnosis and pitfalls for the surgical procedure. A 38-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with polyuria, erectile dysfunction and bitemporal hemianopsia. Neuroimaging revealed pituitary tumor in the sellar region, and the enhanced anterior pituitary gland was displaced anteriorly. Gross total resection was achieved using ETSS. Histological findings revealed bipolar spindle cells staining strongly for thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1). We diagnosed the tumor as pituicytoma originated from posterior pituitary. Pituicytoma is difficult to diagnose on routine neuroimaging and pathological analysis, so accurate diagnosis requires identification of the forward deviation of anterior pituitary gland and analysis of immunohistochemical studies using TTF-1. Keywords: Pituicytoma, Forward deviation of anterior pituitary lobe, Thyroid transcription factor 1