Characteristics of the pituitary gland in elderly subjects from magnetic resonance images: relationship to pituitary hormone secretion.

OBJECTIVE

Physiological changes in the pituitary gland with age have not been fully evaluated. The aim of this study was to clarify the morphological characteristics of the pituitary gland by magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) in elderly subjects and to relate them to pituitary hormone secretion.

DESIGN AND PATIENTS

We investigated the pituitary MRI in 59 elderly (15 males, 44 females; median 82 years) and 41 young (13 males, 28 females; median 34 years) healthy subjects.

RESULTS

Pituitary height, width and volume in the elderly subjects were less than those in the young subjects. Empty sella was more frequently observed in the elderly subjects (19%), especially women, than in the young ones. However, no relation was observed between the pituitary size or volume and basal levels of anterior pituitary hormones. Posterior pituitary bright signal(PBS) on T1-weighted MRI, which is thought to reflect its storage of the neurophysin-peptide complex, was not detected in 29% of the elderly subjects while it could be detected in all the young subjects. None of the elderly subjects showed clinical signs or symptoms of diabetes insipidus. Fasting plasma osmolarity and AVP in the elderly subjects were significantly higher than in the young subjects. Moreover, plasma AVP was significantly higher in the elderly subjects without the PBS than in those with the PBS.

CONCLUSIONS

It is suggested that the excessive release of AVP from the posterior pituitary as a result of persistently raised plasma osmolality in the elderly subjects may lead to depletion of the neurosecretory granules in the posterior pituitary gland and may result in disappearance of the posterior pituitary bright signal on T1-weighted MRI. As these morphological changes might relate to the normal physiological occurrence of ageing, we should be cautious in evaluating MRI of the pituitary gland in elderly subjects.