Morphometric study of the pituitary gland and stalk with emphasis on lifestyle factors.

PURPOSE: To provide normative data on pituitary gland and stalk morphometrics and to assess their associations with demographic and lifestyle factors, which are often overlooked in previous studies.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 167 individuals undergoing brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Pituitary area, stalk thickness (at two points), stalk angle (between optic chiasm and stalk), and stalk length were measured on mid-sagittal T1-weighted MRI. Lifestyle data were collected via questionnaires. Linear regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with morphometric variables.

RESULTS

The median pituitary area was 37.3 mm². Multivariable analysis revealed that male sex (p < 0.01) and smoking history (p = 0.03) were associated with smaller pituitary area. Male sex was also associated with a larger stalk angle (p = 0.02). Higher BMI correlated with longer stalk length (p = 0.02). No significant factors were associated with stalk thickness in multivariable models.

CONCLUSION

This study provides updated morphometric data for the pituitary gland and stalk, incorporating lifestyle-related variables. Smoking and sex were associated with pituitary area, while BMI correlated with stalk length. These findings highlight the importance of considering lifestyle factors in morphometric evaluations and suggest potential applications in neurosurgical planning and endocrine evaluation.