Craniopharyngeal Pituitary Gland

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Abstract
A patient is described who did not mature and at age 20 had a calcified suprasellar cystic meningioma removed. For the next 24 years he showed all of the signs and symptoms of panhypopituitarism except normal pigmentation. At autopsy, a normal craniopharyngeal pituitary was found encased in bone and separated from the hypothalamus by a callus replacing the meningioma. Complete atrophy of thyroid and gonads indicated that thyrotrophic and gonadotrophic formation had ceased. Partial maintenance of adrenal cortices indicated a slight amount of ACTH was being formed, while normal pigmentation indicated melanotrophic hormone was still being formed in a normal amount.