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Growth patterns of the normal pituitary gland and in pituitary adenoma
Y Konishi1, M Kuriyama, M Sudo
1Department of Paediatrics, Fukui Medical School, Japan.
Insights
The pituitary gland grows rapidly in infancy, plateaus around age three, and accelerates again during puberty. Pituitary adenomas show enlarged glands with distinct upper margins compared to healthy individuals.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Neuroimaging
- Human Growth and Development
Background:
- Understanding pituitary gland development is crucial for diagnosing endocrine disorders.
- Previous studies have not fully detailed the normative growth patterns across infancy, childhood, and adolescence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the normative growth trajectory of the pituitary gland in children and adolescents.
- To compare the pituitary gland dimensions in patients with pituitary adenomas to healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Sagittal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to assess pituitary gland height and area.
- A cohort of 86 healthy infants, children, and adolescents was studied.
- Seven patients with pituitary adenomas were included for comparison.
Main Results:
- The pituitary gland exhibits rapid postnatal growth, a plateau around three years of age, and a second growth spurt between 10-13 years.
- Pituitary gland area demonstrated a similar growth pattern to gland height.
- Patients with pituitary adenomas presented with significantly larger pituitary glands (height and area) and convex upper-gland margins compared to age-matched controls.
Conclusions:
- The study defines normative pituitary gland growth patterns in pediatric populations.
- Abnormalities in pituitary gland size and shape, such as those seen in pituitary adenomas, are identifiable via MRI.
- These findings aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of pituitary conditions in children.
Abstract:
The growth pattern of the pituitary gland of 86 infants, children and adolescents without pituitary or hypothalamic dysfunction was studied with sagittal magnetic resonance imaging. Postnatally the gland grew rapidly, reaching a plateau at almost three years after birth, and growing rapidly again between the age of 10 to 13 years. Pituitary gland area showed a similar growth pattern to gland height. The pituitary glands of seven patients with pituitary adenomata were also examined. All had convex upper-gland margins, with height and area significantly greater than those of normal controls of the same age.