Abstract
The spectrum of pituitary stalk lesions is broad and only partially overlaps with the pathology of the pituitary gland. These lesions can be divided into congenital and developmental, neoplastic and inflammatory.
The clinical manifestation of these lesions is diabetes insipidus and varying degrees of hypopituitarism, which is sometimes accompanied by hyperprolactinemia. But these lesions may be asymptomatic and manifest themselves only as an incidental finding during MRI examination of the head.
If the etiology of abnormalities of pituitary stalk is not clear from the current involvement of the pituitary gland, hypothalamus and other brain regions, detailed comprehensive examination of the body including the implementation of PET-CT is necessary. Pathology of the pituitary stalk can be the first manifestation of a systemic disease.
Diagnosis of an isolated thickening of the pituitary stalk is not usually possible without biopsy verification. This, however, carries the risk of permanent diabetes insipidus or/and hypopituitarism.