Underactive Pituitary Gland : Tests

To diagnose hypopituitarism, there must be low hormone levels due to a problem with the pituitary gland. The diagnosis must also rule out diseases of the organ that is affected by this hormone. Tests include: Brain CT scan; Pituitary MRI; Serum AC...

Hypopituitarism is loss of function in an endocrine gland due to failure of the pituitary gland to secrete hormones which stimulate that gland's function. The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain. Patients diagnosed with hypopituita...

A cortisol level is a blood test that measures the amount of cortisol, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex.

This test is a measure of serum cortisol (also known as hydrocortisone), or urine cortisol (also known as urinary free cortisol), an important hormone produced by a pair of endocrine glands called the adrenal glands. Purpose This test is performed on patients who may have malfunctioning adrenal glands.

A cranial CT scan is computed tomography of the head, including the skull, brain, orbits (eye sockets), and sinuses.

Injury to the head may damage the scalp, skull or brain. The most important consequence of head trauma is traumatic brain injury.

Computed tomography (CT) scans are completed with the use of a 360-degree x-ray beam and computer production of images. These scans allow for cross-sectional views of body organs and tissues.

Injury to the head may damage the scalp, skull , or brain . The most important consequence of head injury is traumatic brain injury.

Computed tomography (CT) scans are completed with the use of a 360-degree x-ray beam and computer production of images. These scans allow for cross- sectional views of body organs and tissues.

CT imaging equipment includes conventional, spiral, multi-slice, and electron-beam computed tomography full-body scanners, which use x rays to acquire cross-sectional images and computer workstations to reconstruct acquired image data for display on a viewing monitor or printed on film. Also referred to as computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning equipment.

Computed tomography (also known as CT, CT scan, CAT, or computerized axial tomography) scans use x rays to produce precise cross-sectional images of anatomical structures. With the development of modern computers, the scans enhanced digital capabilities allowed the development of computed tomography imaging (derived from the Greek tomos , meaning " to slice " ).

Head injury is an injury to the scalp, skull, or brain. The most important consequence of head trauma is traumatic brain injury.

An estradiol test measures the amount of a hormone called estradiol in the blood. Estradiol is the most important form of estrogen found in the body. Most of it is made in and secreted from the ovaries, adrenal cortex, and placenta. Estradiol is responsible for the growth of the female uterus, Fallopian tubes, and vagina. It promotes breast development and the growth of the outer genitals. The hormone plays a role in the distrubtion of body fat in women and stops the process of growing taller.

During a physical examination, a health care provider studies a patient's body to determine the presence or absence of physical problems. A typical physical examination includes: Inspection (looking at the body; Palpation (feeling the body with hands; Auscultation (listening to sounds; Percussion (producing sounds.

An MRI of the head is a noninvasive procedure that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to construct clear, detailed pictures of brain tissues. Conventional radiography and computed tomographic (CT) imaging use potentially harmful radiation (x-rays) that passes through a patient to generate images. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is based on the magnetic properties of atoms, and there is no exposure to the same type of radiation used in x-rays and CT scans. A powerful magnet generates a magnetic field roughly 10,000 times stronger than the Earth's. A very small percentage of hydrogen atoms within the body will align with this field. Radio wave pulses are broadcast towards the aligned hydrogen atoms in tissues of interest, returning a signal of their own. The slight differences of those signals from different tissues enables MRI to tell the difference between various organs, and potentially, provide contrast between benign and malignant tissue. Any imaging angle, or "slice", can be projected, and then stored in a computer or printed on film. MRI can easily be performed through clothing and bones. However, certain types of metal in or around the area of interest can cause significant errors in the reconstructed images. These errors are called artifacts.

Like all other parts of the body, the brain and central nervous system are made up of cells that ordinarily grow and divide to create new cells as needed. This is usually an orderly process; but when cells lose their ability to grow normally or to die off naturally, they divide too often and produce tumors that are made up of these extra cells.

Part of the central nervous system located in the skull. Controls mental and physical actions of the organism.

Congenital brain defects are a group of disorders of brain development that are present at birth. Brain development begins shortly after conception and continues throughout the growth of a fetus.

Brain abscess is a bacterial infection within the brain. The brain is usually well insulated from infection by bacteria, protected by the skull, the meninges (tissue layers surrounding the brain), the immune system, and the highly regulated barrier between the bloodstream and the brain.

A brain biopsy is the removal of a small piece of brain tissue for the diagnosis of abnormalities of the brain, such as Alzheimer ' s disease , tumors, infection, or inflammation. Purpose By examining the tissue sample under a microscope, the biopsy sample provides doctors with the information necessary to guide diagnosis and treatment.

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain. Unlike other tumors, brain tumors spread by local extension and rarely metastasize (spread) outside the brain.

Congenital brain defects are a group of disorders of brain development. Brain development begins shortly after conception and continues throughout the growth of a fetus.

The brain is the part of the central nervous system located in the skull. It controls the mental processes and physical actions of a human being.

The brain is a large mass of soft nervous tissue made up of both neurons and supporting glial cells lying within the cranium of the skull. The brain contains both gray and white matter.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners rely on the principles of atomic nuclear-spin resonance. Using strong magnetic fields and radio waves, MRI collects and correlates deflections caused by atoms into images.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the result of physical trauma to the head causing damage to the brain. This damage can be focal, or restricted to a single area of the brain, or diffuse, affecting more than one region of the brain.

The brain is the part of the central nervous system (CNS) inside the skull (the part outside the skull is the spinal cord ). It gives rise to cognitive thought processes and controls various body functions including muscular activity, speech, sight, hearing , breathing, and digestion.

A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue, either malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous), in the brain. Each year, more than 17,000 brain tumors are diagnosed in the United States.

An ACTH test measures ACTH, a hormone released from the anterior pituitary gland in the brain.

FSH stands for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH. This hormone is released by the anterior pituitary gland. In women, FSH stimulates production of eggs and a hormone called estradiol during the first half of the menstrual cycle. In men, FSH stimulates production of sperm. This article discusses the test to check the level of FSH in the blood.

The follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) test measures the amount of FSH in the blood. FSH is a hormone that regulates the growth and development of eggs and sperm, and this test is used to diagnose or evaluate disorders involving the pituitary gland and reproductive system.

The growth hormone test measures the amount of growth hormone in the blood.

Growth hormone (hGH), or somatotropin, is a hormone responsible for normal body growth and development by stimulating protein production in muscle cells and energy release from the breakdown of fats. Tests for growth hormone include Somatotropin hormone test, Somatomedin C, Growth hormone suppression test (glucose loading test), and Growth hormone stimulation test (Arginine test or Insulin tolerance test).

Growth hormone tests measure the levels of specific hormones that regulate human growth. These hormone levels are measured in blood serum samples obtained by venipuncture.

LH blood test measures the amount of luteinizing hormone (LH. LH is a protein hormone released by the anterior pituitary gland. In women, an increase in LH levels at mid-cycle causes ovulation. In men, LH stimulates production of testosterone.

The luteinizing hormone (LH) test is a test of the blood or urine to measure the level of luteinizing hormone (lutropin). This hormone level is highest immediately before a woman ovulates during her menstrual cycle.

Prolactin is a hormone released by the pituitary gland. The prolactin test measures the amount of prolactin in the blood.

Prolactin is a hormone secreted by the anterior portion of the pituitary gland (sometimes called the " master gland " ). Its role in the male has not been demonstrated, but in females, prolactin promotes lactation , or milk production, after childbirth .

T4 (thyroxine) is a hormone produced by the thyroid gland. A laboratory test can be done to measures the amount of the T4 in your blood.

A testosterone test measures the amount of the male hormone, testosterone in the blood.

TSH is a laboratory test that measures the amount of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in your blood. TSH is produced by the pituitary gland and tells the thyroid gland to make and release the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3. See also: T3 test; T4 test.

The visual field is the total area in which objects can be seen in the peripheral vision while the eye is focused on a central point.