Magnetic resonance imaging of pituitary stalk hypoplasia. A discrete midline anomaly associated with endocrine abnormalities in septo-optic dysplasia.

Septo-optic dysplasia describes optic nerve hypoplasia in association with endocrine disturbances and/or midline brain malformations. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was used to study two patients with optic nerve hypoplasia, endocrine abnormalities, and normal midline brain anatomy on prior computed tomographic scan. The magnetic resonance imaging scans showed normal midline brain anatomy except for failure to visualize the pituitary stalk, a structure that magnetic resonance imaging has shown to be 100% sensitive in imaging in our normal controls. We propose that our two patients have endocrine abnormalities due to the discrete anomaly of pituitary stalk hypoplasia.