imaging of endocrine diseases

Question 1

where is the pituitary gland found?

Answer 1

-in the sella turcica

Question 2

what lies immediately superior to the pituitary gland?

Answer 2

-optic chiasma

Question 3

what lies immediately lateral to the pituitary gland?

Answer 3

carotid arteries

Question 4

what connects the pituitary gland to the brain?

Answer 4

infundibulum (pituitary stalk)

Question 5

what affect can pituitary tumour have on vision?

Answer 5

-due to optic chiasm lying immediately superior to the pituitary gland a pituitary tumour may press on optic chiasma and cause bilateral peripheral vision loss

Question 6

what imaging is usually used to see the thyroid gland?

Answer 6

• USS

- CT

Question 7

what would suggest Graves disease on a thyroid scintigraphy?

Answer 7

> 3% total tracer uptake in gland

Question 8

what does homogeneously reduced tracer uptake in the thyroid suggest?

Answer 8

thyroiditis

Question 9

what does focal uptake in right upper pole of the thyroid suggest? (more uptake in one part of gland and suppressed uptake in another part)

Answer 9

-multinodular goitre with dominant nodule

Question 10

what imaging technique is used to see adrenal glands?

Answer 10

• CT

- MRI

Question 11

what does the right adrenal gland lie posterior to?

Answer 11

the inferior vena cava

Question 12

what does the lest adrenal gland lie lateral to?

Answer 12

the aorta

Question 13

what is pheochromocytoma?

Answer 13

-an uncommon tumour of the adrenal gland

Question 14

what condition is associated with brittle bones?

Answer 14

-osteoperosis

Question 15

what conditions is associated with soft bones?

Answer 15

• Pagets
• ricketts
• osteomalacia

Question 16

what are bones prone to do in osteoperosis?

Answer 16

-brittle bones in osteoperosis are prone to fracture

Question 17

who is most commonly affected by osteoperosis?

Answer 17

• post menopausal females
• patients on certain steroids
• anorexics

Question 18

what places are more prone to fracture in brittle bones?

Answer 18

• proximal femur
• sacrum and pubic rami
• thoracolumbar vertebral bodies
• distal radius

Question 19

what often occurs to soft bones?

Answer 19

-they end up deformed

Question 20

what causes rickets?

Answer 20

-vitamin D deficiency

Question 21

how does rickets present on an Xray?

Answer 21

• irregular, flared metaphyses
• widened growth plates
• bone deformity

Question 22

what causes vitamin D deficiency?

Answer 22

-osteomalacia

Question 23

how does osteomalacia present on an Xray?

Answer 23

• bone deformity

- poor cortico medullary differentiation

Question 24

how does Paget’s disease present on Xray?

Answer 24

Initial lytic phase:
-well defined lucency

Latter sclerotic phase:

• enlarged bone
• increased density
• coarse trabecular pattern

Question 25

what is Pagets disease?

Answer 25

-a disease that causes increased bone turnover with unknown cause

Question 26

what does a lytic bone abnormality mean?

Answer 26

-there is bone destruction causing the bone to be less dense

Question 27

what does a sclerotic bone abnormality mean?

Answer 27

-it means the bone increases in density due to bone formation

Question 28

what is usually lose in a bone with lytic destruction?

Answer 28

• loss of tuberculae
• loss of inner cortex
• loss of cortices