MR measurement of normal pituitary gland height on midsagittal section: age and sex differentiation

ABSTRACT

Measurement of the normal pituitary gland height was performed on magnetic resonance (MR) images of 144 subjects with no known or suspected pituitary or hypothalamic diseases. Midsagittal T1 weighted images (T1WI) were used for measurement, and mean vertical height according to age and sex group was obtained. In all age groups, the pituitary height was greater in females than in meles, The group of 0-9 years in both genders showed the minimum mean pituitary height, The maximum mean height was observed in the 10-19 years age group in both genders. The height gradually decreased with increasing age after age 20 years. There was no subject with a height more than 9.0 mm in females or 8.0 mm in males. In conclusion the measurement of the normal pituitary pland height using mid sagittal MR imaging can be used for the evaluation of the pituitary gland lesions.