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Endocrine Pathology pp 9–33Cite as

Pituitary Gland and Hypothalamus

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Abstract

The human pituitary gland has two major parts—the adenohypophysis, which comprises the pars dis-talis, pars intermedia, and pars tuberalis, and the neurohypophysis, which includes the posterior lobe, neural stalk, and infundibulum. The adenohypophysis is derived embryologically from the invagination of the stomodeal ectoderm, Rathke’s pouch, which is the roof of the stomodeum or primitive buccal cavity. The neurohypophysis originates in the floor of the diencephalon. It retains a permanent connection with the brain via the infundibular stalk. The pituitary can be recognized macroscopically by 12 weeks of gestation (30).

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  1. Warthin-Weller Professor of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, 48109, Michigan, USA

    Ricardo V. Lloyd MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Pathology)

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  1. Ricardo V. Lloyd MD, PhD
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Lloyd, R.V. (1990). Pituitary Gland and Hypothalamus. In: Endocrine Pathology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3346-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3346-6_2

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