The normal dimensions of the sella turcica in Jordanians: a study on lateral cephalograms.

BACKGROUND

The sella turcica is an important anatomic and radiologic entity. The dimensions of the sella turcica vary greatly in normal individuals and are influenced by genetic and local factors. The main objective of this study is to build up a normative database of the dimensions of the sella turcica in the Jordanian population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

For this purpose 509 computed cephalograms of 252 male and 257 female healthy Jordanians aged 10-40 years were collected and divided into two adolescent and adult age-groups for both genders. Viewbox 3 software was used to determine linear dimensions and area of the sella turcica.

RESULTS

Our results showed that the overall values for width, length, height, area, and aperture (interclinoid distance) were 8.72, 7.68, 6.25, 40.80, 3.92, and 8.67, 7.42, 6.38, 41.26, 3.68 mm (mm2) for males and females, respectively. Significant differences were found between adult male group on one hand and adolescent female group and adult female group on the other hand. Between age categories and within male and female groups, sella parameters were significantly different between adolescent and adult age-groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data clearly confirm the classical notion of general trend of increase in parameters with age, irrespective of gender, with the area scoring the highest increase, and the height in females and length in males contributing most obviously to this trend. The aperture appears to decrease in females while it increases in males as adulthood is reached. This seems to reflect differential growth of the pituitary gland under neurohormonal effects.