Endocrine Abstracts

JOINT4010

Introduction: Pituitary stalk interruption syndrome is a rare etiology of antero-pituitary insufficiency. Somatotropic insufficiency may be isolated or immediately combined with wide clinical heterogeneity. The aim of this study is to determine the importance of hypothalamo-hypophyseal MRI in the positive diagnosis of SITP.

Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis of 7 observations (4 males and 3 FEMALES) ranging in age from 6 to 26 years Investigated by pituitary MRI for Antero pituitary insufficiency.

Results: Pituitary MRI revealed no visualization of the pituitary stalk in 5 patients, and a very thin stalk in tow. An ectopic hypothalamic post-hypophysis was found in 5 patients. Post-hypophyseal extinction was noted in two patients. Hypoplasia of the anterior pituitary glandular parenchyma with a small sella was noted in 4 patients. Isolated growth hormone (GH) deficiency was noted one patient with thin stalk, whereas the absence of a pituitary stalk was associated with combined hormone deficiency (panhypopituitarism was noted in tow patients).

Discussion: SITP is a rare congenital malformation which is characterized by antero-pituitary deficiencies. Etiologic diagnosis is performed radiologically by an MRI showing the association of a thin or absent pituitary stalk, an ectopic post-hypophysis and/or a hypoplastic or absent anterior pituitary. It provides a morphological study of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis and helps to establish clinic-radiological correlations.