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Pituitary gland height evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging in premature twins: the impact of growth and sex

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Abstract

Background

Pituitary gland height reflects secretory activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis.

Objective

To assess the cumulative impact of fetal growth and sex on pituitary gland height in premature twins, dissociated from prematurity.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective study was conducted, assessing the pituitary gland height in 63 pairs of preterm twins, measured from T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Auxological parameters, including body weight, body length, and head circumference, at birth and at the time of MRI, were used as proxies for fetal and postnatal growth, respectively. The study population was divided into two groups, using corrected age at around term equivalent as the cutoff point. Statistical analysis was performed using mixed-effects linear regression models.

Results

When pituitary gland height was evaluated at around term equivalent, a greater pituitary gland height, suggesting a more immature hypothamo-pituitary axis, was associated with the twin exhibiting lower auxological data at birth. The same association was observed when body weight and length at MRI were used as covariants. In the group evaluated after term equivalent, a smaller pituitary gland height, suggesting a more mature hypothamo-pituitary axis, was associated with male sex. This difference was observed in twin pairs with higher average body weight at birth, and in babies exhibiting higher auxological data at MRI.

Conclusion

After isolating the effect of prematurity, at around term equivalent, pituitary gland height reflects the cumulative impact of fetal growth on the hypothalamo-pituitary axis. Subsequently, pituitary gland height shows effects of sex and of fetal and postnatal growth.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Professor Emeritus Styliani Andronikou for her valuable insights and the critical review of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, P.O. Box 1186, 45110, Ioannina, Greece

    Maria I Argyropoulou, Vasileios Xydis, Effrosyni I Styliara & Dimitrios-Nikiforos Kiortsis

  2. Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Loukas G Astrakas

  3. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Child Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Aikaterini Drougia & Vasileios Giapros

  4. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, “Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece

    Christina Kanaka-Gantenbein

Authors
  1. Maria I Argyropoulou
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  5. Effrosyni I Styliara
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  6. Dimitrios-Nikiforos Kiortsis
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  7. Vasileios Giapros
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  8. Christina Kanaka-Gantenbein
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Contributions

M.I.A. and D-N.K. conceived the study. A.I.D., L.G.A., V.G.X., and E.I.S. performed data management and data analyses. M.I.A. wrote the initial draft of the manuscript. V.G., L.G.A., D-N.K., and C.K.-G. provided input to the planning, execution and/or interpretation of the analysis. All authors provided critical input to the manuscript draft and approved the final version of the manuscript. M.I.A. is the guarantor of this work. The corresponding author (M.I.A.) had final responsibility to submit for publication. The authors declare that the results of the study are presented clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria I Argyropoulou.

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Argyropoulou, M.I., Xydis, V., Astrakas, L.G. et al. Pituitary gland height evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging in premature twins: the impact of growth and sex. Pediatr Radiol 54, 787–794 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-024-05873-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-024-05873-0

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