An unusual case of ectopic prolactinoma in the clivus

Abstract

Ectopic pituitary adenomas occur mostly in the sphenoid sinus or nasopharynx, and rarely in the clivus. The differential diagnosis for a clival lesion is vast and includes chordoma (40%; being the most common), chondrosarcoma, meningioma, astrocytoma, craniopharyngioma, germ cell tumor, melanoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, metastatic carcinoma, and rarely pituitary adenoma. Most of the adenomas detected in the clivus and those functioning endocrinologically, come out to be prolactinomas. Herein, the authors report a rare case of ectopic prolactinoma in the clivus in a 35-year-old male patient who reported with signs of weight loss, impotence, dizziness, and a clival lesion.