What is empty sella turcica?

What is empty sella turcica?

Definition. Empty Sella Syndrome (ESS) is a disorder that involves the sella turcica, a bony structure at the base of the brain that surrounds and protects the pituitary gland. ESS is often discovered during radiological imaging tests for pituitary disorders. ESS occurs in up to 25 percent of the population.

Is empty sella a normal variant?

Clinical presentation. Although many patients with so-called primary empty sella are entirely asymptomatic and endocrinologically normal, increasingly recognized are variable hypopituitarism (e.g. growth hormone deficiency 8) and hyperprolactinemia 7.

What happens empty sella?

With empty sella syndrome, CSF has leaked into the sella turcica, putting pressure on the pituitary. This causes the gland to shrink or flatten. Primary empty sella syndrome occurs when one of the layers (arachnoid) covering the outside of the brain bulges down into the sella and presses on the pituitary.

What is the function of the sella?

Within your skull, there’s a small, bony nook at the base of your brain that holds and protects your pituitary gland (which controls how hormones work in your body). This tiny structure is called the sella turcica.

What causes a pituitary gland to shrink?

What causes partially empty sella?

In empty sella syndrome, or ESS, the pituitary gland has flattened or shrunk, which makes the sella turcica appear to be empty. Empty sella syndrome occurs for a variety of reasons, including as a result of pituitary tumors or traumatic injury.

What does a partially empty sella mean?

Partial empty sella syndrome means your sella is less than half full of CSF, and your pituitary gland is 3 to 7 millimeters (mm) thick. Total empty sella syndrome means more than half of your sella is filled with CSF, and your pituitary gland is 2 mm thick or less.

What is empty sella in the brain?

Empty sella syndrome is a condition involving the sella turcica, a portion of the brain that surrounds and protects the pituitary gland. With this condition, the pituitary gland flattens or shrinks, making the sella turcica appear empty.

What is sella syndrome?

Empty sella syndrome is a rare disorder related to a part of the skull called the sella turcica. The sella turcica is an indentation in the sphenoid bone at the base of your skull that holds the pituitary gland. If you have empty sella syndrome, your sella turcica is not actually empty.