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Diagnostic Imaging

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Abstract

Both CT and MRI are used in the diagnosis of hypothalamic/pituitary tumours and have replaced plain radiography and pneumoencephalograms for imaging of the sella region. Angiography continues to be useful, and is often combined with MRI for visualization of the sella and masses and for vessel anatomy and pathology. The advent of tomography allowed for multidirectional thin anatomic section analysis and, along with the development of computer assisted tomography (CAT scans) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), (particularly when combined with angiography), allows significant resolution of pathology in the pituitary region. MRI is now the imaging of choice when evaluating space occupying lesions in the hypothalamic and pituitary sella regions (Maya and Pressman 2011; Basics, neuroradiology 2018).

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Abbreviations

CSF:

Cerebrospinal fluid

CT:

Computed tomography

DWI:

Diffusion weighted images

FLAIR:

Fluid attenuated inversion recovery

Gy:

Grey

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

T:

Tesla

T1:

Longitudinal (parallel to the magnetic field)

T2:

Transverse (perpendicular to the magfield)

TE:

Echo time

TR:

Repetition time (TR)

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Key Reading

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    PubMed  Google Scholar 

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    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Weidman EK, Dean KE, Rivera W, Loftus ML, Stokes TW, Min RJ. MRI safety: a report of current practice and advancements in patient preparation and screening. Clin Imaging. 2015;39(6):935–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinimag.2015.09.002. Epub 2015 Sep 4.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northwest Pituitary Center, Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA

    Christine Yedinak

Authors
  1. Christine Yedinak
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christine Yedinak .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Sciences, City, University of London, London, UK

    Sofia Llahana

  2. Department of Oncology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden

    Cecilia Follin

  3. Northwest Pituitary Center Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA

    Christine Yedinak

  4. Churchill Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Ashley Grossman

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Yedinak, C. (2019). Diagnostic Imaging. In: Llahana, S., Follin, C., Yedinak, C., Grossman, A. (eds) Advanced Practice in Endocrinology Nursing. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99817-6_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99817-6_16

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-99817-6

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