title: The primary empty sella an endocrine study on 12 cases.
abstract: Twelve patients (10 women and 2 men) with a primary empty sella turcica were studied. Endocrine function tests were performed as follows: growth hormone (GH) was measured after insulin-induced-hypoglycaemia, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) after LH-releasing hormone, thyrotrophin (TSH) and prolactin after thyrotrophin-releasing hormone; pituitary reserve of adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) was determined by measurement of plasma cortisol after lysine-vasopressin and 11 deoxycortisol after metyrapone. Five of the patients (group A) had no endocrine disturbance. Seven patients (group B) had a hypothalamo-pituitary disorder. Two of them had panhypopituitarism which appeared in one case after meningoencephalitis and in the other after a severe cranial trauma. In two cases an amenorrhoea-galactorrhoea syndrome with increased prolactin level (68 and 230 ng/ml) led to a diagnosis of a prolactin producing adenoma, which was confirmed by surgery. Finally three cases of amenorrhoeagalactorrhoea, with normal prolactin level, and/or diabetes insipidus remained unexplained. However, no causal relationship could be demonstrated between the pituitary disturbance and the "empty sella". Primary empty sella turcica is therefore a neuroanatomical and neuroradiological entity with no endocrine implication. A pituitary disorder might suggest a microadenoma or an incidentally associated disease.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000503:physiopathology; D000328:Adult; D003350:Cortodoxone / Q000097:blood; D003919:Diabetes Insipidus / Q000503:physiopathology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000503:physiopathology; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008599:Menstruation Disturbances / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010053:Ovary / Q000503:physiopathology; D010900:Pituitary Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D012658:Sella Turcica; D013737:Testis / Q000503:physiopathology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000503:physiopathology; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D011388:Prolactin; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D013006:Growth Hormone; D013974:Thyroxine; D003350:Cortodoxone; D006854:Hydrocortisone