[The role of magnetic resonance tomography in the diagnosis of an "empty" sella turcica].

A total of 110 patients were examined using magnetic-resonance (MR) tomography of the brain and a special MR myelographic method. An 'empty' sella turcica was diagnosed in 29% of cases. MR tomographic criteria permitting the diagnosis of this condition were defined: a crescent-shaped hypophysis, presence of a low-intensive signal area with a glow phenomenon on MR myelogram, this area being localized intrasellarly. Different clinical variants of the empty sella turcica syndrome are demonstrated, including variants resultant from substitution therapy of thyroid hypofunction, from dopamine agonist therapy for hyperprolactinemic hypogonadism, from radiotherapy of hypophyseal adenoma. Hence, the studies have demonstrated a high efficacy of MR tomography in the diagnosis of empty sella turcica and in dynamic monitoring of patients with various hypothalamohypophyseal dysfunctions over the course of therapy.