title: MR assessment of pituitary gland morphology in healthy volunteers: age- and gender-related differences.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  High-field MR images at 1.5 T were used to characterize the effects of age and gender on pituitary size and shape in a sample of 71 adult volunteers (40 females), aged 21 to 82 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For all subjects, age was inversely correlated with pituitary height (r = -.43, P less than .0002) and cross-sectional area (r = -.35, P less than .0028). Age-specific gender differences were also present in pituitary height and area. A convex upper pituitary margin was more common in females (P = .002) and younger subjects (P = .009).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms that aging is accompanied by gender-specific changes in pituitary size and shape, and provides normative data that may facilitate evaluation of the pituitary gland in neuroendocrine disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Doraiswamy
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Potts
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Axelson
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Husain
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Lurie
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Na
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Escalona
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Figiel
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Ellinwood
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012727:Sex Characteristics