Detailed visualization of the functional regions of the rat pituitary gland by high-resolution T2-weighted MRI

This high-resolution MRI study focuses on the visualization of the detailed morphology of the rat's pituitary gland by means of post-mortem as well as in vivo MRI at 9.4 T. Determination of the local T1- and T2-relaxation decay times allows to explain the regional image intensities which reflects the degree of tissue organization at the molecular level. Detailed characterization of the molecular level of the pituitary gland, as provided by the relaxation decay times, can offer a rigid platform with respect to functional or pathological explorations. It is demonstrated that T1-weighted imaging, as is routinely used in the clinic, can differentiate between the posterior and anterior lobe but not between the posterior and intermediate lobe. T2-weighted images, however, clearly show the three distinct lobes of the rat pituitary gland without the use of contrast agents, i.e. the posterior, the intermediate and the anterior lobe. Histological analysis of the rat's pituitary gland confirms the morphological structures seen on the MR images. Although the intermediate lobe is less defined in humans and can neither be differentiated by T1-weighted MRI, its clinical visualization might be possible in T2-weighted images.