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Influence of age and sex on signal intensities of the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland on T1-weighted images from 3 T MRI

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Abstract

Purpose

To elucidate the influence of age and sex on the signal intensity (SI) of the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland (PPG) on T1-weighted images (T1WI) from 3 T MRI.

Materials and methods

Sagittal T1WI acquired from three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient recalled acquisition in the steady state in 1,634 subjects without conditions affecting antidiuretic hormone were evaluated retrospectively. The presence or absence of a bright signal in the PPG was assessed qualitatively. The SI ratio of the PPG to the pons (SIR) was obtained from quantitative measurements. We statistically analyzed these data, creating 14 subject groups categorized according to age and sex, and applied a Poisson generalized linear model to the SIR data.

Results

The characteristic bright signal was absent in 47 subjects (2.8 %), with no significant difference in incidence among the groups. The SIR was inversely related to age in both males (r > 0.7) and females (r > 0.9), and was significantly higher in females in the third to the eighth decades (p < 0.05). Analysis of the whole SIR dataset using a generalized linear model showed that the estimated SIR decreased by 1.7 % per decade and is higher in females.

Conclusion

Age and sex influence the SI of the PPG on T1WI. These findings may aid the recognition of PPG signal abnormalities on T1WI.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Jun’ichi Kotoku, Ph.D., and Mr. Desmond Bell for their assistance in preparing this manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashiku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan

    Asako Yamamoto, Hiroshi Oba & Shigeru Furui

Authors
  1. Asako Yamamoto
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  2. Hiroshi Oba
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  3. Shigeru Furui
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Asako Yamamoto.

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Yamamoto, A., Oba, H. & Furui, S. Influence of age and sex on signal intensities of the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland on T1-weighted images from 3 T MRI. Jpn J Radiol 31, 186–191 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-012-0168-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-012-0168-2

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