Pituitary MRI interpretation?

[Unstrungharp]

I had a pituitary MRI done yesterday because my endocrinologist suspects a pituitary tumor (prolactinoma). I received all the images on a CD but the report/interpretation will probably not come for a couple of days. I am curious to find out if anyone here can look at some of the images and give me their opinion...that may be entirely unrealistic but I wanted to give it a try.

I am on my phone and am having a hard time figuring out a way to get a zipped file of JPEG images from an email attachment to a public upload site...so I could just forward that email with the file to someone. The folder does not contain every one of the MRI images...I selected ones that I thought showed the pituitary clearly, but now I realize I left out all of the ones that were taken from the "top of my head" perspective (I forget the technical term for that). All the images I saved were from the side.

If anyone would like to take a stab at it, let me know! Thanks :)

[Daniel M Prevedello, MD]

Thank you Rumpled.

I love your answers.

Thank you

[rumpled]

After 24 hours, you can likely go to the medical records area and get a copy of the report.

Often, the radiologist may reference an image if he/she notes anything, and that may help you.

You can also go on the internet and search for pictures of the pituitary on MRI so you can use those to find your own. From experience, I can tell you it is not easy as a layman to read your own films - the *weighting* means that some things that are dark mean more, then light, then whatever - so you kinda have to know what is going on.

BTW - coronal means the slice is from front to back (hint, look for a butterfly in center of head, pit will be below it ). Sagittal means the profile view (look for the eyes - after one, before the other, around the same place a little further back and down?). Slices are really 3mm thick so things can be missed! Lab work is really the big thing - make sure that is done correctly and get several sets.