Li Zhaoyang, Han Kangning, Yang Wenhui, Wu Bo, Cao Rufan, Chen Shiyao, Zhang Xinyu, Han Xiaochun, Guo Liangqing
The First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China.
Department of Cardiovascular, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China.
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2025 Aug 20;16:1516538. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1516538. eCollection 2025.
Empty sella (ES) involves herniation of the pituitary fossa, leading to pituitary flattening. While typically associated with central hypothyroidism, its co-occurrence with hyperthyroidism is rarely reported and often overlooked. We report a rare case of hyperthyroidism in a patient with ES. The patient was diagnosed with ES combined with Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). Her pituitary gland appeared flattened with a depressed upper edge. The gland height was approximately 2.3 mm. Abnormal thyroid function in this case may result from the combined effects of all three conditions. A literature search on PubMed revealed a possible association between ES and autoimmune thyroid disease; however, only seven relevant studies were identified, and no standardized diagnostic or treatment protocols exist. Hyperthyroidism may mask the diagnosis of ES. In patients whose thyroid function does not normalize with conventional oral antithyroid medication, the possibility of ES should be considered. When ES is associated with primary hyperthyroidism, antithyroid drug dosages should be lower than conventional doses. Thyroid function should be monitored more frequently, and medication dosages should be adjusted promptly.
空蝶鞍(ES)是指垂体窝疝,导致垂体扁平。虽然通常与中枢性甲状腺功能减退有关,但其与甲状腺功能亢进同时出现的情况很少被报道且常被忽视。我们报告了一例ES患者合并甲状腺功能亢进的罕见病例。该患者被诊断为ES合并格雷夫斯病(GD)和桥本甲状腺炎(HT)。她的垂体呈扁平状,上缘凹陷。腺体高度约为2.3毫米。该病例中甲状腺功能异常可能是这三种情况共同作用的结果。在PubMed上进行的文献检索显示ES与自身免疫性甲状腺疾病之间可能存在关联;然而,仅发现了7项相关研究,且不存在标准化的诊断或治疗方案。甲状腺功能亢进可能会掩盖ES的诊断。对于使用传统口服抗甲状腺药物后甲状腺功能未恢复正常的患者,应考虑ES的可能性。当ES与原发性甲状腺功能亢进相关时,抗甲状腺药物剂量应低于常规剂量。应更频繁地监测甲状腺功能,并及时调整药物剂量。