[Case of pineocytoma causing repetitive subarachnoid hemorrhage for 43 years].

A 61-year-old woman had suffered from severe headache and nausea over 20 times during the last 43 years. An subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) was detected by spinal puncture in some other hospitals, but the source of hemorrhage remained unknown in spite of repeated angiography. At the age of 61, she was diagnosed as having normal pressure hydrocephalus, and received a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. She suffered from sudden headache 12 days after surgery. A CT scan showed a SAH and enlargement of the pineal mass. The tumor was totally removed via the occipital interhemispheric transtentorial approach and was diagnosed histologically as a pineocytoma. She has been free from SAH for three years since removal of the tumor. Pineal apoplexy should be considered as a cause of SAH.