Ectopic posterior pituitary (EPP) is a malformation of the hypothalamic-pituitary region. Our goal was to describe midline structural brain abnormalities in patients with EPP using a dedicated protocol (FAST1.2 protocol) of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, highlighting their clinical-laboratory correlations.
A cross-sectional study of patients diagnosed with EPP, and a control group. All individuals were submitted to a dedicated MRI protocol called FAST1.2, which combines the FAST1 protocol developed by our group with 3D T2DRIVE imaging.
We evaluated 36 individuals with EPP and 78 individuals as a control group. One patient had two posterior pituitary lobes, one inside the sella turcica and the other along the pituitary stalk; in five patients, the EPP was along the pituitary stalk; in 28 the EPP was at the infundibular recess of the third ventricle, and in two the EPP was hypothalamic. In the EPP group, eleven individuals had interhypothalamic adhesion (IHA), three septo-optic dysplasia, one a cerebellar malformation, and one a pineal cyst. We did not observe a higher frequency of severe hormonal deficiency or developmental delay in patients with IHA. In the control group, eleven patients had a pineal cyst, three pars intermedia cysts, one hydrocephalus, and one hypothalamic hamartoma.
FAST1.2 acquisition allows confident recognition of regional anatomy and recognition of midline structural abnormalities on T2DRIVE, particularly including the pituitary stalk and IHA, thereby making MRI acquisition faster with no need for intravenous contrast administration. We suggest that IHA could be associated with defects in neuronal migration, as might occur in patients with EPP.
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Posted 11 Mar, 2021
Received 10 Apr, 2021
On 23 Mar, 2021
Invitations sent on 18 Mar, 2021
On 17 Mar, 2021
On 06 Mar, 2021
On 02 Mar, 2021
On 01 Mar, 2021
Posted 11 Mar, 2021
Received 10 Apr, 2021
On 23 Mar, 2021
Invitations sent on 18 Mar, 2021
On 17 Mar, 2021
On 06 Mar, 2021
On 02 Mar, 2021
On 01 Mar, 2021
Ectopic posterior pituitary (EPP) is a malformation of the hypothalamic-pituitary region. Our goal was to describe midline structural brain abnormalities in patients with EPP using a dedicated protocol (FAST1.2 protocol) of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, highlighting their clinical-laboratory correlations.
A cross-sectional study of patients diagnosed with EPP, and a control group. All individuals were submitted to a dedicated MRI protocol called FAST1.2, which combines the FAST1 protocol developed by our group with 3D T2DRIVE imaging.
We evaluated 36 individuals with EPP and 78 individuals as a control group. One patient had two posterior pituitary lobes, one inside the sella turcica and the other along the pituitary stalk; in five patients, the EPP was along the pituitary stalk; in 28 the EPP was at the infundibular recess of the third ventricle, and in two the EPP was hypothalamic. In the EPP group, eleven individuals had interhypothalamic adhesion (IHA), three septo-optic dysplasia, one a cerebellar malformation, and one a pineal cyst. We did not observe a higher frequency of severe hormonal deficiency or developmental delay in patients with IHA. In the control group, eleven patients had a pineal cyst, three pars intermedia cysts, one hydrocephalus, and one hypothalamic hamartoma.
FAST1.2 acquisition allows confident recognition of regional anatomy and recognition of midline structural abnormalities on T2DRIVE, particularly including the pituitary stalk and IHA, thereby making MRI acquisition faster with no need for intravenous contrast administration. We suggest that IHA could be associated with defects in neuronal migration, as might occur in patients with EPP.
Figure 1
Figure 2
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