Turkish saddle: what is it, why is it empty?

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Turkish saddle: what is it, why is it empty?
Turkish saddle: what is it, why is it empty?
Anonim

Can you guess what the "turkish saddle" is? Far from medicine, people are unlikely to think that it is somewhere in the human body. But physicians, as can be seen from the example of the names of the bones in the middle ear ("stapes", "hammer" and "anvil"), quite often use figurative comparisons for certain names. So the Turkish saddle got its name because it looks like the original in its shape. To some, it still resembles a butterfly. It is part of the cranium, located in the center of its base and connected to most bones. It is here that the center of the endocrine system is located - the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. Therefore, any changes in this area often have serious consequences.

empty turkish saddle treatment
empty turkish saddle treatment

Empty Turkish saddle

It's actually not empty, even though the word is clearly written on the card. But instead of completely containing the pituitary gland, it will be partially filled with CSF - cerebrospinal fluid - while the pituitary gland itself will be reduced for some reason. Distinguish between primary and secondary syndrome of an empty Turkish saddle (PTS), each of which, in turn, is divided into complicated and uncomplicated variants. Primary PTS is caused by congenital changes in the bone diaphragm. In general, this phenomenon is quite common even among he althy people, and not everyone, for one reason or another, will turn to doctors and find out about this peculiarity. Most often, this diagnosis is made in middle-aged women with an increased body mass index. The occurrence of a secondary PTS syndrome is often due to the fact that the enlarged pituitary gland decreases in size after the therapy, while the sella turcica, enlarged as a result of its growth, no longer changes in size. And then voids are formed, filled with cerebrospinal fluid.

Turkish saddle
Turkish saddle

Symptomatology, diagnosis, treatment

Finding out that the Turkish saddle is "empty" can be almost by accident. For example, this can happen during an MRI scan or an X-ray done for a completely different reason. A patient may have absolutely no symptoms or he alth problems, even if they are accurately diagnosed with an empty Turkish saddle.

empty Turkish saddle
empty Turkish saddle

Treatment of the primary syndrome is usually not required. Women with this diagnosis may have low levels of FSH and LH, but often this is not due to pituitary dysfunction. Occasionally, hormone replacement therapy is still prescribed. To confirm the suspicions of the presence of the primary PTS syndrome, it is enough for the endocrinologist to send the patient to donate blood for sex hormones and thyroid hormones. X-ray will confirm the diagnosis. The secondary syndrome manifests itself more often and almost always requires hormonal treatment. In rare cases, it is even necessary to do plastic surgery of the back of the saddle, and antihypertensive and rehydrating drugs are used. Other therapy is prescribed depending on the presence of certain disorders associated with PTS. It is also quite rare that visual field impairment occurs due to the syndrome, but symptoms such as headaches in the forehead or high blood pressure are quite common.

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