PITUITARY-GLAND - VARIABLE SIGNAL INTENSITIES ON MRI A PICTORIAL ESSAY

The anterior pituitary gland may exhibit high signal on T1-weighted (T 1w) images and/or low signal on T2-weighted (T2w) images in several no rmal and pathological states. High T1w signal may be seen in normal fe tuses, neonates, and in pregnant and postpartum women. It may also occ ur in Rathke's cleft cyst, craniopharyngioma, subacute hemorrhage, man ganese deposition, melanoma, dermoid, and lipoma. Low T2w signal may b e seen in hemorrhage, calcification cation, cystic lesions, hemochroma tosis, melanoma, and vascular lesions. These are described and illustr ated. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1998.