Checking of hypophysectomy in the rat using longitudinal bone growth determined with tetracycline

The longitudinal bone growth in 1922 consecutively hypophysectomized and surviving rats was determined with oxytetracycline. The longitudinal bone growth of proximal tibia during the first 15 postoperative days and the width of the fluorescent tetracycline band at 15 days after the operation were found to correlate well with the microscopical examination of serial sections of sella turcica. These growth parameters, when considered together, can be used as a means of screening whether hypophysectomy is complete. As a result microscopical examination of serial sections of the sella turcica to ascertain the completeness of the operation can be reduced to about the 10% of the animals where there remains some doubt.