Sudden complete ophthalmoplegia associated with pituitary adenoma.

A 20-year-old asymptomatic woman suddenly had complete right ophthalmoplegia associated with right ptosis and impairment of the sensory and motor functions of the right papillary cranial nerve. These symptoms were found to be caused by a chromophobe adenoma of the pituitary gland. Complete resolution of the patient's symptoms followed surgical aspiration of the tumor with subsequent radiation therapy.