[Pituitary adenomas: value of MR imaging]

MR imaging has become the imaging modality of choice for diagnosis of pituitary adenomas. In order to optimize MR evaluation, dedicated pulse sequences must be utilized and knowledge of diagnostic pitfalls and normal variants is mandatory. The MRI features of pituitary adenomas may vary based on their volume, but also on their cell-type. Postoperative MR imaging based on a pre-established schedule is useful to detect residual and/or early recurrent tumor.