Skip to main content
AJNR: American Journal of Neuroradiology logoLink to AJNR: American Journal of Neuroradiology
. 1995 Aug;16(7):1413-9.

Normal MR appearance of the pituitary gland in the first 2 years of life.

R B Dietrich 1, L E Lis 1, F S Greensite 1, D Pitt 1
PMCID: PMC8338052  PMID: 7484625

Abstract

PURPOSE

To investigate changes in the size, shape, and signal intensity of the pituitary gland during the first 2 years of life.

METHODS

One hundred consecutive MR studies, spin-echo T1- and T2-weighted sequences, of children 0 to 2 years of age were analyzed. Signal intensity and shape of the gland were graded and its signal intensity measured.

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant difference in the signal intensity of both the anterior and posterior pituitary gland and in the shape between children younger than and older than 6 weeks of age and younger than and older than 27 weeks of age. There were definite trends in the size of the gland with age (decrease in height and increase in anteroposterior diameter and width).

CONCLUSIONS

There are changes in the pituitary gland in the newborn period that may reflect the ongoing changes in pituitary hormones reported to occur during this time.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (443.6 KB).


Articles from AJNR: American Journal of Neuroradiology are provided here courtesy of American Society of Neuroradiology

RESOURCES