Primary empty sella syndrome: Characteristics of the pituitary deficiency. A bicentric case series.

Abstract

Background and aim Empty sella is the neuroradiological or pathological finding of an apparently empty sella turcica. The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical, hormonal and radiological characteristics of patients with empty sella and to compare anterior pituitary function in total versus partial primary empty sella. Methods The records of 36 patients with primary empty sella were retrospectively analyzed over a 24-years period. The patients were evaluated for pituitary function with basal hormone levels (FT4, TSH, IGF1, FSH, LH, cortisol, ACTH, prolactin) and dynamic testing when necessary. Results Our study included 26 women and 10 men with an average age of 47.64 ±15.47 years. Seventy-six per cent of women were multiparous. Fifteen patients were obese. The revealing symptoms were dominated by endocrine signs (52.7%). More than half of our patients complained of headache. Sixty-one of the patients had partial empty sella and the remaining 39% had total empty sella. Two or more pituitary hormone deficiency were found in 41% of cases. Secondary adrenal insufficiency was the most common pituitary hormone deficiency(41.7%).The percentage of hypopituitarism in complete primary empty sella was significantly higher than that in partial primary empty sella (P<0.05).The management was based on hormone replacement therapy in case of hypopituitarism and on analgesic therapy in case of headache. Conclusion The diagnosis of PES must be evoked in an obese, multiparous, hypertensive woman presenting with a symptomatology suggestive of a pituitary deficiency or chronic headache. The correlation between pituitary gland volume and the degree of hypopituitarism highlights the importance of the early diagnosis and hormones replacement.