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The pituitary gland or hypophysis is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans , the pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain , protruding off the bottom of the hypothalamus . The human pituitary gland is oval shaped , about 1 cm in diameter, 0.5–1 gram (0.018–0.035 oz) in weight on average, and about the size of a kidney bean .
The pituitary gland (or hypophysis) is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 grams (0.018 oz) in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and rests in a small, bony cavity (sella turcica) covered by a dural fold (diaphragma sellae).
The anterior pituitary (also called the adenohypophysis or pars anterior) is a major organ of the endocrine system.The anterior pituitary is the glandular, anterior lobe that together with the (posterior pituitary, or the neurohypophysis) makes up the pituitary gland (hypophysis) which, in humans, is located at the base of the brain, protruding off the bottom of the hypothalamus.
General diagram of a portal venous system, for example, this occurs in the hypophyseal portal system between the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary gland.. In the circulatory system of vertebrates, a portal venous system occurs when a capillary bed pools into another capillary bed through veins, without first going through the heart.
The middle cranial fossa is formed by the sphenoid bones, and the temporal bones.It lodges the temporal lobes, and the pituitary gland. [1] [2] It is deeper than the anterior cranial fossa, is narrow medially and widens laterally to the sides of the skull.
Rathke's pouch is a sac-like structure that gives rise to the pars distalis, pars intermedia, and pars tuberalis of the pituitary gland. The cells of Rathke's pouch proliferate and differentiate into various hormone-producing cells, including Somatotrophs, Lactotrophs, Corticotrophs, Thyrotrophs, and Gonadotrophs.
They may be mistaken for the much more common pituitary adenoma, as well as craniopharyngioma and meningioma. Symptoms from the mass effect of the tumor usually include vision disorders, and less often headaches, hypopituitarism (decreased function of the pituitary gland), fatigue, and decreased libido.
Because only thin shelves of bone separate the sphenoidal sinuses from the nasal cavities, below, and from the hypophyseal fossa, above, the pituitary gland can be reached surgically through the roof of the nasal cavities by passage through the anterioinferior aspect of the sphenoid bone and into the sinuses, followed by entry through the top ...