RECURRENT PINEAL APOPLEXY IN A CHILD

Abstract

Pineal apoplexy denotes sudden hemorrhage occurring into the pineal gland or a cyst or a mass in pineal region. In clinical neuroscience, pituitary apoplexy is a well established entity. Hemorrhage into a pineal gland is, however, extremely uncommon. The first case of pineal apoplexy was reported in 1976 following use of anticoagulation medications.1 Since then, 12 cases have been described in the literature (table).2 Repeated bleeding into the pineal gland has been considered a possible risk, but no such case has been reported previously.3 View this table: Table Reported cases of pineal apoplexy Surgical intervention is usually recommended for pineal apoplexy; however, conservative management has also been tried.2 Acute hydrocephalus that may result in pineal apoplexy can be taken care of by a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. Hemorrhagic mass into the pineal gland can then be managed expectantly and has been suggested.2 However, recurrence of benign apoplexy necessitates surgical evacuation of hematoma to prevent compression of brain stem. In this article, the authors present a case of recurrent pineal apoplexy into a pineal cyst …