The lymphocytic hypophysitis: Report of 19 cases from the German Registry of Pituitary Tumors

Abstract

Objectives: Pituitary inflammations can enlarge the pituitary or form local tumor-like lesions involving surrounding tissues. Three types of inflammation are autochthonous pituitary diseases and totally different in respect of their etiology, pathogenesis and structure: the lymphocytic hypophysitis, the granulomatous hypophysitis, and the secondary or peritumorous hypophysitis. We could collect nineteen cases of lymphocytic hypophysitis in our registry (1991 to 2005). The morphological and clinical findings are to be presented.