CASE REPORT article
Front. Med.
Sec. Pathology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1468727
Refractory Hypokalemia as a Clinical Manifestation of Crooke´s Cell Adenoma
Provisionally accepted
- 1Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia
- 2Rosario University, Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia
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Crooke cell adenomas (CCA) are a rare and aggressive subtype of corticotrope tumors, with a prevalence of less than 1% pituitary adenomas, commonly manifest as Cushing’s syndrome. We present the case of a 62-year-old male with progressive lower limb oedema, hypertension, and severe refractory hypokalemia. In this case, severe hypercortisolism was identified with the presence of a pituitary microadenoma of 9x6 mm and adrenal bilateral hyperplasia. Ectopic hypercortisolism was discarded after further evaluation. The patient was taken to a transsphenoidal endoscopic resection with complete resolution of symptoms. Histopathological and microscopic studies revealed findings consistent with Crooke cells compatible with Crooke cell adenoma. This tumor subtype exhibits a heterogeneous clinical presentation and is infrequently reported in the literature. Consequently, it represents an unpredictable clinical entity with a variable medical course.
Keywords: pituitary adenoma, ACTH, Crooke's cell, Cushing Disease, case report
Received: 18 Mar 2025; Accepted: 09 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kattah Martinez, Bustamante Gomez, Sanabria and Salazar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Laura Ximena Kattah Martinez, Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia
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