Bright Pituitary Stalk on MR T1-Weighted Image: Damming Up Phenomenon of the Neurosecretory Granules.
-
- FUJISAWA ICHIRO
- Department of Radiology, Kishiwada City Hospital
-
- UOKAWA KYOSUKE
- Department of Radiology, Kishiwada City Hospital
-
- HORII NAOTOSHI
- Department of Radiology, Kishiwada City Hospital
-
- MURAKAMI NORIHIKO
- Department of Endocrinology, Kishiwada City Hospital
-
- AZUMA NOBUYUKI
- Department of Endocrinology, Kishiwada City Hospital
-
- FURUTO-KATO SUMIKO
- Department of Endocrinology, Kishiwada City Hospital
-
- YAMASHITA KOHSUKE
- Department of Neurosurgery, Kishiwada City Hospital
-
- NAKAO SATOSHI
- Department of Neurosurgery, Kishiwada City Hospital
-
- KAGEYAMA NAOKI
- Department of Neurosurgery, Kishiwada City Hospital
Search this article
Abstract
Characteristic findings of the pituitary stalk on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, which suggest a damming-up phenomenon of neurosecretory granules, were reported. Neurosecretory granules containing vasopressin influence the signal intensity on MR T1-weighted image (T1WI). The normal posterior lobe of the pituitary gland appears as a bright signal on T1WI. The bright signal of the posterior lobe represents the normal content of neurosecretory granules and disappears in patients with central diabetes insipidus. The normal pituitary stalk appears as a low-intermediate intensity signal on sagittal and coronal T1WIs with 3 mm-slice thickness. The pituitary stalk appeared as a bright signal in 20 patients; 13 with pituitary adenoma, 4 with an intrasellar cystic lesion, one with cavernous sinus mass, and 2 with no abnormal MR findings. The pituitary stalk was not severed in any of the cases. The normal bright signal of the posterior lobe disappeared in 17 patients. No patients suffered from symptoms of central diabetes insipidus when the bright pituitary stalk appeared. It is suggested that the origin of the bright signal in the pituitary stalk is the damming up and accumulation of neurosecretory granules in the nerve fibers of the hypothalamohypophyseal tract obstructed by adenoma, postoperative scarring, cystic mass and so on. Probably, the damming-up phenomenon on MR imaging represents the functional integrity of the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system, and should be distinguished from an ectopic posterior lobe formation which is caused by stalk transection.
Journal
-
- Endocrine Journal
-
Endocrine Journal 49 (2), 165-173, 2002
The Japan Endocrine Society
- Tweet
Keywords
Details 詳細情報について
-
- CRID
- 1390001206297969536
-
- NII Article ID
- 130004442960
- 30041005628
- 10008361201
-
- NII Book ID
- AA10901436
-
- COI
- 1:STN:280:DC%2BD38zjvFWnuw%3D%3D
-
- ISSN
- 13484540
- 09188959
- http://id.crossref.org/issn/09188959
-
- PubMed
- 12081235
-
- Text Lang
- en
-
- Data Source
-
- JaLC
- Crossref
- PubMed
- CiNii Articles
-
- Abstract License Flag
- Disallowed