Hypopituitarism with Invisible Pituitary Stalk: Two Case Reports of Males with Micropenis Suggesting Fetal Onset of Hypopituitarism

YUKIHIRO HASEGAWA; TOMONOBU HASEGAWA; NORIKO TANAKA; HITOSHI ISHIZAKA; TAIJI ASO; MAKOTO YAMADA; SHINOBU KOTOH; YUTAKA TSUCHIYA; GEORGES BORDAGE

doi:10.1507/endocrj.41.531

YUKIHIRO HASEGAWA, TOMONOBU HASEGAWA, NORIKO TANAKA, HITOSHI ISHIZAKA, TAIJI ASO, MAKOTO YAMADA, SHINOBU KOTOH, YUTAKA TSUCHIYA, GEORGES BORDAGE

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Keywords: Hypopituitarism, Micropenis, Abnormal delivery, Invisible pituitary stalk

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

1994 Volume 41 Issue 5 Pages 531-534

DOI https://doi.org/10.1507/endocrj.41.531

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Abstract

The presence of hypopituitarism and invisible pituitary stalk on a magnetic resonance image (MRI) is commonly attributed to birth trauma. Two patients with severe hypopituitarism and invisible pituitary stalk are presented. One was born by breech delivery, the other by Cesarean section. The presence of a micropenis since early infancy in these two patients suggested that their hypopituitarism might have begun during early fetal life thus effecting penile growth during the second and third triministers of gestation. These findings raise the possibility that the association of hypopituitarism and invisible pituitary stalk may have multiple etiologies including hormonal abnormalities during early fetal life.

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