[Clinical, radiologic, ophthalmologic, and endocrine studies in the primary empty sella turcica syndrome (author's...

The clinical, radiologic, ophthalmologic, and endocrine features of nine patients with the syndrome of primary empty sella turcica are described. Pneumoencephalography was diagnostic in the eight patients in whom it was performed, while the remaining case was diagnosed by computerized axial tomography. In two patients alterations of the visual fields were found, while another had a hypertensive eye fundus. Endocrine studies were normal in four patients; the following abnormalities were found in the remaining five cases: one case of partial deficiency of antidiuretic hormone associated to secondary amenorrhea, one case of functional galactorrhea, one case of lack of response of growth hormone to insulin hypoglycemia, one case of hypothalamic deficiency of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis, and one case of panhypopituitarism. Pneumoencephalography gave the best diagnostic results but because of its dangers it must be performed only when computerized axial tomography gives negative or equivocal information and the patient is not a typical case (female sex, obese, multiparous, hypertensive, and or diabetid) in the forties.