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A pitfall in pituitary imaging using standard head magnetic resonance (MR)
Christopher Beck1, Rosario Riel-Romero, Eduardo Gonzalez-Toledo
1Louisiana State University School of Medicine, Shreveport, LA, USA.
Summary
A standard MRI revealed a pituitary gland abnormality in a young girl, but a dedicated MRI showed it was artifact from volume averaging. Dedicated MRI is crucial for accurate pituitary lesion evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Neuroimaging
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Pituitary gland lesions can present with vague symptoms.
- Standard magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is commonly used for initial evaluation.
Observation:
- A young female patient presented with headaches and a hypointense pituitary lesion on standard head MR.
- The imaging finding was inconsistent with the patient's clinical presentation.
Findings:
- The apparent pituitary mass was identified as an artifact caused by volume averaging.
- Volume averaging, an artifact of thicker slices in standard 3D MR imaging, reduces spatial resolution.
- Dedicated sellar region MR imaging with thinner slices improved spatial resolution and revealed the artifact.
Implications:
- Dedicated MR imaging of the sellar region is essential for accurate diagnosis of pituitary lesions.
- Misinterpretation of volume averaging artifacts can lead to unnecessary investigations or misdiagnosis.
- This case highlights the importance of advanced imaging techniques for evaluating subtle pituitary abnormalities.
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