Radiology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Published online before print April 15, 2005, 10.1148/radiol.2353040243
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
2353040243v1
235/3/999    most recent
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Miki, Y.
Right arrow Articles by Konishi, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Miki, Y.
Right arrow Articles by Konishi, J.
(Radiology 2005;235:999-1004.)
© RSNA, 2005

Neuroradiology

The Pituitary Gland: Changes on MR Images During the 1st Year after Delivery1

Yukio Miki, MD, PhD, Milliam L. Kataoka, MD, PhD, Toshiya Shibata, MD, PhD, Tabassum L. Haque, MBBS, Mitsunori Kanagaki, MD, Taro Shimono, MD, PhD, Tomohisa Okada, MD, PhD, Akira Hiraga, RT, Sadahiko Nishizawa, MD, PhD, Hiroyuki Ueda, MD, Mahbubur Rahman, MBBS, MPH, PhD and Junji Konishi, MD, PhD

1 From the Departments of Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging (Y.M., M.L.K., T.S., T.L.H., M.K., T.S., T.O., S.N., H.U., J.K.) and Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Service (A.H.), Kyoto University Hospital, 54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; and Department of Epidemiological and Clinical Information Management, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan (M.R.). Received February 8, 2004; revision requested April 15; revision received June 20; accepted July 27. Supported in part by a grant from the Ministry of Education Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. Address correspondence to Y.M. (e-mail: mikiy@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp).

PURPOSE: To longitudinally and prospectively investigate changes in the volume and signal intensity on T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images of the pituitary gland up to 1 year after delivery and evaluate whether termination of lactation has an effect on these parameters.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: All participants provided informed consent for participation in the study, which was approved by the institutional review board. Thirteen volunteers (mean age, 28 years; age range, 26–32 years) underwent MR imaging 2 and 4 weeks after delivery and then at intervals of 0.5–2.0 months until 1 year after delivery. Eight participants terminated lactation during the study period. Sagittal and coronal T1-weighted images were obtained. Signal intensities of the anterior and posterior lobes of the pituitary were calculated relative to that of the pons. The volume of the pituitary was also calculated. Two-tailed paired Student t tests and separate simple linear regression analyses were used to test for statistically significant differences.

RESULTS: The mean pituitary volume was 544 mm3 at 2 weeks, 523 mm3 at 4 months, 512 mm3 at 8 months, and 511 mm3 at 12 months after delivery, with significant differences between 2 weeks and 4 months (P = .002) and between 4 and 8 months (P = .003) after delivery. The mean ratio of the signal intensity of the anterior lobe of the pituitary to the signal intensity of the pons was 1.11 at 2 weeks, 1.07 at 4 months, 1.03 at 8 months, and 1.00 at 12 months after delivery, with significant differences between 2 weeks and 4 months (P = .004) and between 4 and 8 months (P = .0001) after delivery. Termination of lactation had no statistically significant effect on pituitary volume or the ratio of the signal intensity of the anterior or posterior lobe of the pituitary to the signal intensity of the pons.

CONCLUSION: The volume of the pituitary gland decreases up to 8 months after delivery, and the T1-weighted signal intensity of the anterior lobe of the pituitary decreases; termination of lactation has no statistically significant effect on these parameters.

© RSNA, 2005