In vivo assessment of pituitary gland volume with magnetic resonance imaging: the effect of age.
We used sagittal and coronal T1 weighted magnetic resonance images, at 1.5 Tesla, to measure the height, width, length, and cross-sectional area and to generate two estimates of pituitary gland volume in 35 normal volunteers aged 26-79 yr (19 females and 16 males). Subjects over 50 yr of age had significantly smaller pituitary gland height (P = 0.03), area (P = 0.04), and volume (P = 0.04) than those under 50 yr (by two-tailed t test). Overall, age was negatively correlated with pituitary volume (V1: r = -0.51; P = 0.003; V2: r = -0.47; P = 0.008), area (r = -0.43; P = 0.009), and height (r = -0.46; P = 0.005), but not with pituitary length or width. There were no statistically significant differences in pituitary size between men and women (by two-tailed t test). These findings suggest that pituitary gland height provides a good single measure for the assessment of pituitary gland size and that age must be controlled for in studies of pituitary gland size.
Lurie
S N
SN
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710.
Doraiswamy
P M
PM
Husain
M M
MM
Boyko
O B
OB
Ellinwood
E H
EH
Figiel
G S
GS
Krishnan
K R
KR
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors