Study of pituitary morphometry using MRI in Indian subjects

Abstract

Aim: To establish normative measurements of pituitary gland in Indian population. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we measured dimensions of pituitary gland in 482 (213 females and 269 males) Indian subjects with apparently normal pituitary gland function. Mid-sagittal T1-weighted image (T1-WI) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure height and length of pituitary gland. Pituitary gland width was measured using coronal T1-WI and pituitary gland volume was calculated. Results: Mean height, length and calculated volume of pituitary gland was significantly higher in females compared to males (p = <0.001, P = 0.03 and P = <0.001, respectively) when all age groups were combined but pituitary gland width was not statistically different in male and female subjects. When subjects were divided into different age groups, except for 10–14 years age group where pituitary height was significantly higher in females as compared to male, no significant difference was observed between male and female in any of the parameters (height, length, width and volume). The mean pituitary gland height was 5.80 ± 1.32 mm and 5.37 ± 1.25 mm in female and male subjects, respectively. Females achieved peak pituitary gland height in 10 to 14-year age group, while males achieved their peak pituitary gland height in 15 to 19-year age group. Conclusion: Our study provides age and sex wise normative data for pituitary measurements derived from Indian population.

Keywords

• Indian subjects
• magnetic resonance imaging
• pituitary measurements