Imaging the Sella and Parasellar Region

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Anatomy of the sellar and parasellar region

The pituitary fossa lies within the central portion of the sphenoid bone and is bounded anteriorly by the tuberculum sellae and posteriorly by the dorsum sellae. The chiasmatic sulcus lies anterior to the tuberculum sellae and posterior to the planum sphenoidale and medial to the optic nerve canals. The optic strut (inferior root of the lesser wing of the sphenoid), a bridge of bone extending from the anterior clinoid process to the sphenoid body, separates the optic nerve canals from the

Pituitary macroadenoma

Pituitary adenomas account for approximately 10% of all intracranial neoplasms and between one third to one half of sellar and parasellar masses [11]. Pituitary macroadenomas are twice as common as microadenomas and are the most common suprasellar masses, and the most common mass resulting in visual symptoms in this region [9], [11]. Among the secretory adenomas, visual loss is rarely the initial complaint. Nonsecretory adenomas account for 60% of patients with visual complaints having an

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      Citation Excerpt :

      It is bound by the tuberculum sellae anteriorly and dorsum sellae posteriorly and surrounded by four bony projections of the sphenoid bone, the paired anterior and posterior clinoid processes (Fig. 1). Greater and lesser wings of the sphenoid: The paired lesser wings extend from the superolateral aspect of the sphenoid body, while the greater wings extend from the inferior aspect of the body.3 The greater wings form the anterior inferior boundaries of the middle cranial fossa bilaterally, and multiple neuroforamen including foramen rotundum, foramen ovale and foramen spinosum traverse through the greater wings of the sphenoid.

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