Modern imaging of pituitary adenomas

Before CT and MR imaging were available, pituitary mass lesions could not directly be depicted. Conventional X-ray studies, pneumoencephalography and catheter angiography could only reveal indirect sings of a space-occupying intra-, para- or suprasellar lesion. Only when CT scanning and later on low- and high-field magnetic resonance imaging were introduced into clinical practice, were the radiological diagnoses of pituitary adenomas refined, a much better morphological contribution to differential diagnosis of a lesion obtained, and the effects of therapies, such as medical treatments, irradiation and surgery, could be monitored. To date, magnetic resonance tomography is generally considered the imaging method of choice for its premium soft tissue contrast. The goal of all imaging studies is to indicate precisely the localization and nature of the sella region tumor, its extension in relation to the various surrounding structures, its structure and its enhancement in order to help in the differential diagnosis and treatment planning.