title: Imaging the pituitary and parasellar region.
abstract: Magnetic resonance imaging is the fundamental imaging tool for the evaluation of tumors and other lesions of the pituitary gland and infundibulum. Abnormalities may arise within the pituitary itself, from vestigial embryologic remnants, or from surrounding tissues. Correct diagnosis rests on accurate assessment of lesion location, imaging appearance, and clinical presentation. This article reviews the radiologic evaluation of lesions within the sella and suprasellar cistern, focusing on common masses and pseudomasses of the pituitary and sellar region that neurosurgeons are most likely to encounter in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Neuroradiology Division, Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0628, USA. christopher.hess@ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Dillon
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011859:Radiography; D012658:Sella Turcica / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology