Lateral Extension of Pituitary Tumour	

Lateral extension of parapituitary or pituitary tumours is less common. In approximately five per cent of patients with a pituitary tumour, there is extension into the cavernous sinus; this may cause cranial nerve palsies due to compression of the third, fourth, or sixth cranial nerves. Very rarely, pituitary tumours extend into the temporal lobe of the brain to cause epilepsy. If a tumour extends downwards, it may erode the sphenoid bone through to the sphenoid sinus and postnasal space, and so the patient may present with CSF rhinorrhoea. In contrast to the fluid discharged with the ‘runny nose’ of the cold, in this instance the fluid contains glucose.