Abstract
Sheehan syndrome corresponds to a pituitary necrosis following severe postpartum hemorrhage and hypovolemia. It has been suggested that a small sella may be a risk factor and play a role in the pathogenesis of the necrosis. Improvement in obstetric care, blood transfusion, and embolization of uterine arteries have permitted a drastic reduction in the frequency of this complication in Western countries. Sheehan syndrome may manifest itself very early after delivery, with headache and hypopituitarism responsible for lack of milk production immediately or some weeks later. Hyponatremia can also be observed. More usually, Sheehan syndrome is diagnosed years later.
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Further Reading
Bakiri F, Bendib SE, Maoui R et al (1991) The sella turcica in Sheehan syndrome: computerized tomographic study in 54 patients. J Endocrinol Invest 14(3):193–196
Keleştimur F (2003) Sheehan syndrome. Pituitary 6(4):181–188
Sert M, Tetiker T, Kirim S et al (2003) Clinical report of 28 patients with Sheehan syndrome. Endocr J 50(3):297–301
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Bonneville, JF. (2016). Sheehan Syndrome. In: MRI of the Pituitary Gland. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29043-0_44
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29043-0_44
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