Herpes zoster opthalmicus (HZO) is the reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus (VZV) within the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal ganglion (V1). Common complications are postherpetic neuralgia and vasculopathy. Here, we report a rare case of a 47-year-old female presenting with HZO and aseptic cavernous sinus thrombosis (CST). Early screening for rare and deadly complications such as CST using CT cerebral venography (CTV) and magnetic resonance venography (MRV), as was done, is crucial to detection at earlier stages when intervention is most effective. Anticoagulation therapy was promptly started, and the patient's symptoms continued to improve during the hospital stay.
Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is a rare clinical syndrome in which the pituitary gland undergoes infarction or hemorrhage, predominantly in the setting of an underlying tumor. We report on apoplexy of an expanding pituitary macroadenoma that was compressing the optic chiasm in a patient with progressively worsening neurologic deficits. Due to the patient's rapidly declining clinical status and family's goals of care, no neurosurgical intervention took place, and the patient expired a few days following discharge to hospice. This case highlights the importance of early suspicion for apoplexy in a patient with a history of pituitary adenoma and signs of neurologic deficit.
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