Ophthalmoplegia in Primary Pituitary Lymphoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Primary pituitary lymphoma (PPL) is an extremely rare localized lymphoma without systemic involvement. The most common clinical presentations of PPL are hypopituitarism, headaches, and ophthalmoplegia. Diagnosing PPL without a biopsy is almost impossible. There is no study that has specifically investigated and reviewed treatment responses to the ophthalmological symptoms of PPL patients. Herein, we present a 66-year-old female patient who had acute-onset total ophthalmoplegia and headache as admission symptoms, which was diagnosed as PPL after subtotal resection. In the present study, we discussed the response of ophthalmological symptoms to treatment with a review of the literature. Only 18 reported cases had postoperative ophthalmological examination, and in 94.4% of these cases, ophthalmoplegia resolves after surgery and chemotherapy. The complete resection rate of the PPL in the literature was found to be as low as 12.3% in this region because of the hard and adhesive nature of the tumor. Our review unveiled that complete recovery of ophthalmoplegia can be achieved even in the late phase of the symptoms. In the present case, ophthalmoplegia resolved completely following subtotal resection and rituximab, high-dose methotrexate, and cytarabine treatment.