RÉSUMÉ
Objective To investigate the microstructural changes in white matter of pituitary adenoma patients when the anterior visual pathway is compressed using diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)and discuss the clinical significance of these changes.Methods Clinical and MRI data of 25 patients with pituitary adenomas and 25 matched healthy controls were prospectively included.Tract-based spatial statistics(TBSS)was carried out to investigate difference in white matter integrity between 2 groups,which was measured using fractional anisotropy(FA).A correlation between visual function evaluation index and regional FA value was examined using correlation analysis.Results The FA values of bilateral optic radiations and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus were significantly lower in the research group.The FA values of left optic radiation and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus were positively correlated to mean deviation and visual field index,negatively correlated to patten standard deviation.The FA values of bilateral optic radiations and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus were negatively correlated with Bulbo-pontine height.Conclusion Patients with pituitary adenoma may experience damage to the bilateral optic radiation and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus after compression of the anterior visual pathway,which may affect the patient's visual function,further indicating that DTI can quantitatively assess the microstructure damage of the visual pathway in patients with pituitary adenoma.