Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) the hypothalamic and pituitary structures in patients with idiopathic isolated growth hormone deficiency (GHD) or multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies (MPHD).
MRI was performed in 16 patients with GHD (9 boys and 7 girls, aged 10.9 to 16.9 years) who developped a normal puberty and 15 patients with MPHD (13 boys and 2 girls, aged 11.3 to 25 years) including gonadotrophins deficiency.
In 11/15 MPHD patients an ectopic, but normally active, neurohypophys was detected, while in the remaining 4 cases the high intensity signal of the neurohypophysis was absent. In the 16 patients with GHD, the signal of the neurohypophysis was normal.
Moreover the pituitary height on MRI, ranging from 1 to 5 mm (2.80 ± SEM 0.34 mm) in MPHD was significantly lower (p< 0,0001) than in GHD patients (4.37 ± SEM 0.13 mm).
These results suggest that MRI is useful in the investigation of idiopathic hypopituitarism : the finding of an ectopic or absent neurohypophysis together with a reduced height pituitary gland seem specific of MPHD.
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Houang, M., Biscaldi, I., Bozzola, M. et al. MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE PITUITARY HORMONE DEFICIENCIES (MPHD). Pediatr Res 33 (Suppl 5), S33 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199305001-00178
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199305001-00178