MRI morphometric analysis of anatomical structures affecting transsphenoidal surgery in acromegaly

Abstract

Aims: Functional pituitary adenomas such as acromegaly or Cushing adenoma can cause endocrinopathies and affect tissues. These functional pituitary adenomas can cause anatomical variations by tissue hypertrophy. The aim of this study is to reveal differences of anatomical structures on the surgical route between normal patients and acromegalic pituitary microadenoma patients via magnetic resonance imaging scanning of pituitary gland. Methods: We investigated magnetic resonance scannings of 20 acromegalic pituitary adenoma patients preoperatively and 20 control patients. Carotid canal width, pyriform apical width, concha widths, frontal skin thicknesses, lip thickness and nasal heights were compared. Results: Pyriform aperture widths were 22.76±0.94 mm in acromegalic patients and 21.80±0.53 mm in normal patients, concha widths were 9.38±1.22 mm in acromegalic patients and 7.98±0.78 mm in normal patients, frontal skin thicknesses were 6.77±0.38 mm in acromegalic patients and 4.94±1.03 mm in normal patients, lip thicknesses were found as 5.10±0.55 mm in acromegalic patient and 4.18±0.77 mm in normal patients, nasal heights were found as 49.8±0.89 mm in acromegalic patients and 48.88±3.97 mm in normal patients and these differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Since there are anatomical differences in acromegalic pituitary adenoma patients, variations of these anatomical structures should be defined and approaches should be adapted in transsphenoidal surgeries.

Keywords

• Acromegaly
• morphometric analysis
• transsphenoidal surgery
• variation

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