LYMPHOCYTIC ADENOHYPOPHYSITIS - SKULL RADIOGRAPHS AND MRI

We report the skull radiograph, CT and MRI findings in three patients with lymphocytic adenohypophysitis mimicking pituitary adenoma, All ca ses were associated with pregnancy. CT demonstrated a pituitary mass b ut did not differentiate lymphocytic adenohypophysitis from pituitary adenoma. The skull radiographs showed either a normal sella turcica or minimal abnormalities: they did not show ballooning or destruction, T he MRI appearances were distinctive: relatively low signal on T1-weigh ted images; preservation of the bright posterior pituitary lobe despit e the presence of a relatively large pituitary mass, less common in ma croadenomas: marked contrast enhancement compared with pituitary macro adenomas; and dural enhancement adjacent to a pituitary mass.