title: Pituitary volumes are reduced in patients with somatization disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite of the suggested physiological relationship between somatoform disorder and disturbances in HPA axis function no volumetric study of pituitary volumes in somatization disorder has been carried out. Therefore, we aimed to use structural MRI to evaluate the pituitary volumes of the patients with somatization disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen female patients with somatization disorder according to DSM-IV and same number of healthy controls were included into the study. All subjects were scanned using a 1.5-T General Electric (GE; Milwaukee, USA) scanner. Pituitary volume measurements were determined by using manuallly tracings according to standard antomical atlases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found significantly smaller pituitary volumes of the whole group of somatization patients compared to healthy (t=-3.604, p=0.001). ANCOVA predicting pituitary volumes demonstrated a significant main effect of diagnostic group (F=13.530, p<0.001) but TBV (F=1.924, p>0.05) or age (F=1.159, p>0.05). It was determined that there was no significant correlation between smaller pituitary volumes and the duration of illness (r=0.16, p>0.05) in the patient group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, we suggest that the patients with somatization disorder might have significantly smaller pituitary volumes compared to healthy control subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Firat University School of Medicine, Elazig, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hanefi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.forename: Murad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Atmaca
authors.forename: Burcu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sirlier
authors.forename: Alperen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kayali