Wolfgang Hirsch, A. Jassoy (Halle)  

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N/A  

N/A  

Head-Other or unknown  

neoplastic  

Symptoms, which are mostly seen as an overactivity of the anterior pituitary. (I.e. large size, breast secretions, hypergonadism, hyperthyroidism, and others).  

Adenomas are more frequently found in healthy children and adolescents without any hormone defects (= incidentalomas).

Localized adenomas are rarer in hyperprolactemia; in IGF/BP3 it is higher.

According to definition, macroadenomas are larger than 10 mm.  

<- view MRI 1

MRI 1: T1 native - Coronal
Mostly hypointense or not well-marcated (isointense)





<- view MRI 2

MRI 2: T1 with contrast - Coronal
After contrast application in the early phase, there is a good hypointense demarcation of the microadenoma, therefore dynamic contrast sequences are of value.





<- view MRI 3

MRI 3: T1 with contrast- Sagittal
Posterior pituitary is hyperintense (Signal intensity is dependent on the functionality of the posterior pituitary), the anterior pituitary shows some signal intensity.





<- view MRI 4

MRI 4: T2 - Coronal
Rarely hypertense in T2 weighted images. Most often T2-weighted images show no advantage.

One-sided lowering of the sella floor, or lifting of the sella upper wall, asymmetry and/or elongation of the pituitary stalk.



 

Total constellation (Consens)  

Tumor, Hemorrhage, Cyst  

N/A  

In autopsy reports/statistics, there are 3-27% incidentalomas reported. Probably they are diagnosed as microadenomas in MRI.  

N/A  

1. Medline:
W.Hirsch et al
Microadenomas of the pituitary gland in children with and without hypophyseal dysfunction in magnetic resonance imaging
JPEM (15) 2002 , 157-162  

Microadenoma, Macroadenoma, pituitary gland, microadenomas of the pituitary gland, increased body height, breast secretions, hypergonadism, hyperthyroidism, hormone secreting, adenoma, child, childhood, pediatric radiology  

Wolfgang Hirsch, A Jassoy. Microadenomas of the pituitary gland. PedRad [serial online] vol 1, no. 11.
URL: www.PedRad.info/?search=20011103135037