A 58-year-old man with a known non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma presents to the emergency department with sudden-onset severe retro-orbital headache, bitemporal hemianopsia, and altered consciousness. MRI shows an enlarged pituitary gland with heterogeneous signal intensity and chiasmal compression. The structure marked **A** in the diagram demonstrates acute hemorrhage and infarction within the pre-existing adenoma. Which of the following is the MOST IMMEDIATELY LIFE-THREATENING complication requiring empiric high-dose corticosteroid therapy BEFORE confirmatory laboratory results?
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