Morphological Changes of the Pituitary Gland in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal functional disorder characterized by unclear underlying mechanisms. Several theories propose that hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis leads to elevated cortisol levels and increased sensitivity of gut wall receptors. Given the absence of prior literature on this topic, our study aimed to investigate the potential for diagnosing IBS based on morphological changes in the pituitary gland, specifically its volume and grayscale intensity. Additionally, we aimed to assess whether factors such as gender, age, and body mass index influence these parameters. This retrospective study involved 60 patients, examining the volume and grayscale characteristics of their pituitary glands in the presence of IBS. Our findings revealed a positive correlation between pituitary gland volume and IBS diagnosis, although no significant correlation was observed with grayscale intensity. Due to the limited existing research and the small sample size of our study, further investigation with a larger cohort is warranted to validate these results.

Keywords: diagnosis; gastrointestinal tract; irritable bowel syndrome; pituitary; volume calculation.

Figure 1

Using 3D Slicer software (version 5.0.2 r30822/a4420c3), the pituitary gland (shown in green area) was delineated and covered all its surface areas on axial (a), coronal (b), and sagittal (c) sections; (d) shows the pituitary gland in a 3D view.

Figure 2

Sagittal cut of the brain showing delineation of the pituitary gland (shown in yellow line) to obtain the grayscale using ImageJ Fiji Software. This technique was performed for each sagittal cut involving the pituitary gland for each patient.

Figure 3

Histogram of the grayscale for the pituitary gland delineated in Figure 2 using ImageJ Fiji Software. The Histogram of grayscale for each cut of the pituitary gland in each patient was obtained by the same technique.

Figure 4

Sagittal cut of the brain showing delineation of the pons (shown in yellow line) to obtain the grayscale using ImageJ Fiji Software. This technique was performed for each sagittal cut involving the pons for each patient.

Figure 5

Histogram of the grayscale for the pons delineated in Figure 4 using ImageJ Fiji Software. The Histogram of grayscale for each cut of the pons in each patient was obtained by the same technique.