Pituitary adenoma CT

Pituitary adenoma Microchapters
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ahmad Al Maradni, M.D. [2]

Overview

Head CT scan may be helpful in the diagnosis of pituitary adenoma. Findings on CT scan suggestive of pituitary adenoma include a large suprasellar mass that invade surrounding structures, calcification, and rarely hemorrhage.

Key CT Scan Findings in Pituitary Adenoma

Macroadenoma

• A large suprasellar mass that typically characterized by:

• An attenuation similar to that of the brain (30-40 HU)
• Moderate contrast enhancement
• Invasion of the surrounding structures

• Calcification and hemorrhage are rarely seen.

• 

  Large hyperdense sellar mass extending into the suprasellar region and causing displacement of surrounding structures. Image courtesy of Dr Gagandeep Choudhary. http://www.radiopaedia.org Radiopaedia (http://radiopaedia.org/cases/pituitary-macroadenoma). http://radiopaedia.org/licence Creative Commons BY-SA-NC.

• 

  Large hyperdense sellar mass extending into the suprasellar region and causing displacement of surrounding structures. Image courtesy of Dr Gagandeep Choudhary. http://www.radiopaedia.org Radiopaedia (http://radiopaedia.org/cases/pituitary-macroadenoma). http://radiopaedia.org/licence Creative Commons BY-SA-NC.

• 

  There is a well defined round isodense lesion noted in the pituitary fossa, the lesion is widening the sella.http://www.radiopaedia.org Radiopaedia (http://radiopaedia.org/cases/pituitary-adenoma).

• 

  There is a well defined round isodense lesion noted in the pituitary fossa, the lesion is widening the sella.http://www.radiopaedia.org Radiopaedia (http://radiopaedia.org/cases/pituitary-adenoma).

Microadenoma

• Historically, before the advent of MRI, the pituitary was imaged with CT scan.
• Although CT scan is able to detect up to 80-90% of microadenomas (5-10mm in size), it has less sensitivity to smaller adenomas (less than 5mm in size).