Tsutsumi S, Hori M, Ono H, Tabuchi T, Aoki S, Yasumoto Y
Department of Neurological Surgery, Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital, 2-1-1 Tomioka, 279-0021, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan.
Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Clin Neuroradiol. 2016 Dec;26(4):465-469. doi: 10.1007/s00062-015-0391-1. Epub 2015 Apr 18.
The infundibular recess (IR), commonly illustrated as a V-shaped hollow in the sagittal view, is recognized as a small extension of the third ventricle into the pituitary stalk. The precise morphology of the human IR is unknown. The present study sought to delineate the morphology of the IR using magnetic resonance imaging.
Subjects included 100 patients without acute cerebral infarcts, intracranial hemorrhage, intrasellar or suprasellar cysts, hydrocephalus, inflammatory disease, or brain tumors. Patients with symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, intracranial hypotension, or pituitary dysfunction were excluded. Thin-sliced, seamless T2-weighted sequences involving the optic chiasm, entire pituitary stalk, and pituitary gland were performed in axial and sagittal planes for each patient. The numbers of slices delineating the pituitary stalk and IR were recorded from the axial images and quantified as ratios.
The pituitary stalk consistently appeared as a styloid- or cone-shaped structure with variable inclinations toward the third ventricle floor. The IR was delineated as a smoothly tapering, tubular extension of the third ventricle located in the central portion of the pituitary stalk. In 81 % of patients, the IR passed through the entire length of the pituitary stalk and reached the upper surface of the pituitary gland, which was identified in 40 % of the midsagittal images.
The IR is a cerebrospinal fluid-filled canal passing through the center of the pituitary stalk and connects the third ventricle to the pituitary gland. It may function in conjunction with the pituitary gland.
漏斗隐窝（IR）在矢状位视图中通常显示为V形凹陷，被认为是第三脑室向垂体柄的小延伸。人类IR的确切形态尚不清楚。本研究旨在利用磁共振成像描绘IR的形态。
研究对象包括100例无急性脑梗死、颅内出血、鞍内或鞍上囊肿、脑积水、炎症性疾病或脑肿瘤的患者。排除有颅内压升高、颅内低压或垂体功能障碍症状的患者。对每位患者在轴向和矢状面进行涉及视交叉、整个垂体柄和垂体的薄层无缝T2加权序列扫描。从轴向图像记录描绘垂体柄和IR的切片数量，并量化为比例。
垂体柄始终表现为茎状或锥形结构，向第三脑室底部有不同程度的倾斜。IR被描绘为位于垂体柄中央部分的第三脑室平滑变细的管状延伸。在81%的患者中，IR穿过垂体柄的全长并到达垂体上表面，在40%的正中矢状图像中可识别。
IR是一条穿过垂体柄中心的充满脑脊液的管道，连接第三脑室和垂体。它可能与垂体协同发挥作用。
