Putting pressure on the pituitary gland.
With empty sella syndrome, CSF has leaked into the sella turcica, putting pressure on the pituitary gland. This causes the gland to shrink or flatten. Primary empty sella syndrome occurs when one of the layers (arachnoid) covering the outside of the brain bulges down into the sella and presses on the pituitary. Primary ESS happens when a small anatomical defect above the pituitary gland increases pressure in the sella turcica and causes the gland to flatten out along the interior walls of the sella turcica cavity. Primary ESS is associated with obesity and high blood pressure in women. Causes. The pituitary gland is a small gland located at the base of the brain. It sits in a saddle-like compartment in the skull called the sella turcica. In Latin, it means Turkish saddle. When the pituitary gland shrinks or becomes flattened, it cannot be seen on an MRI scan. Empty sella syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by enlargement or malformation of a structure in the head known as the sella turcica. The sella turcica is a saddle-shaped depression located in the bone at the base of skull (sphenoid bone), in which resides the pituitary gland. In empty sella syndrome, the malformed sella turcica is often either partially or completely filled with cerebrospinal fluid. Occasionally, headaches or pituitary dysfunction may occur. Empty sella syndrome may occur as a primary disorder, for which the cause is unknown (idiopathic), or as a secondary disorder, in which it occurs due to an underlying condition or disorder such as a pituitary tumor or trauma in the pituitary region. Alternative names for empty sella syndrome ESS. What is empty sella syndrome? The pituitary gland sits in the sella turcica, a bony box at the base of the brain, which protects it. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of a normal brain, the pituitary gland would normally almost fill the sella turcica. Empty sella syndrome (ESS) is characterized by an enlarged bony structure (sella turcica) that houses the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000349.htm http://www.brainfacts.org/diseases-disorders/diseases-a-to-z-from-ninds/empty-sella-syndrome/ https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000349.htm http://www.webmd.com/brain/empty-sella-syndrome http://www.webmd.com/brain/empty-sella-syndrome http://www.yourhormones.info/endocrine_conditions/empty_sella_syndrome.aspx http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/endocrinology/empty_sella_syndrome_85,P00428/
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