We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Download Mobile App




In Veterans with PTSD, PET/CT Imaging Reveals Pituitary Abnormalities

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 16 Dec 2014
Print article
Image: PET/CT on the left and an MRI on the right demonstrating the relative locations of both the hypothalamus and the pituitary (Photo courtesy of RSNA).
Image: PET/CT on the left and an MRI on the right demonstrating the relative locations of both the hypothalamus and the pituitary (Photo courtesy of RSNA).
Hybrid imaging with positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) in the pituitary region of the brain has been shown to be a potential new approach for distinguishing military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from those with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).

The study’s findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), held November 30 to December 5, 2014, in Chicago (IL, USA). Moreover, these findings build support to the hypothesis that many veterans diagnosed with PTSD may actually have hormonal irregularities caused by pituitary gland damage from blast injury.

MTBI involves injury to the brain from an external force, while PTSD is typically defined as a mental health disorder that can develop after someone has experienced a traumatic event. Research has shown that up to 44% of returning veterans with MTBI and loss of consciousness also meet the criteria for PTSD. Differentiating PTSD from MTBI can be problematic for clinicians because of symptom overlap, and in many instances, normal structural neuroimaging results.

Researchers recently used PET/CT to study the hypothalamus and pituitary glands of veterans who had suffered blast-related MTBI. The pituitary gland is a pea-sized structure that sits in the bony enclosure located at the base of the skull and is connected to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. Together with the adrenal glands above each kidney, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland form the HPA axis, an important regulator of many body processes, including mood, stress response, and energy expenditure.

“The HPA axis is a complex system with a feedback loop, so that damage to any one of the three areas will affect the others,” said study lead author Thomas M. Malone, BA, from the department of neurosurgery at Saint Louis University School of Medicine (Saint Louis, MO, USA). “It’s suspected of playing an important role in PTSD, but there is limited neuroimaging research in the veteran population.”

The investigators centered on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT, which provides a picture of metabolism by measuring uptake of the radiopharmaceutical FDG. A review of 159 brain 18F-FDG PET/CT scan records revealed that FDG uptake in the hypothalamus was significantly lower in the MTBI-only group compared with normal controls. FDG uptake in the pituitary gland was substantially raised in the MTBI and PTSD group compared with the MTBI-only group.

The finding of higher FDG uptake in the pituitary glands of PTSD sufferers supports the theory that many veterans diagnosed with PTSD may actually have hypopituitarism, a condition in which the pituitary gland does not produce normal amounts of one or more of its hormones. “This raises the possibility that some PTSD cases are actually hypopituitarism masking itself as PTSD,” Dr. Malone said. “If that’s the case, then we might be able to help those patients by screening for hormone irregularities and treating those irregularities on an individual basis.”

Dr. Malone reported that the increased FDG uptake in the pituitary glands of veterans with MTBI and PTSD may be due to the gland working harder to produce hormones. “It’s analogous to having your car stuck in the snow and you keep flooring the gas pedal but you don't go anywhere,” he said.

The findings suggest that PET/CT may provide an effective way to diagnose and differentiate PTSD from MTBI and offer more clues into the biologic manifestations of the disorder. “This study sheds light on the complex issue of PTSD, which also has symptom overlap with depression and anxiety,” Dr. Malone concluded. “Currently, treatment for PTSD is typically limited to psychological therapy, antidepressants and anxiety medications. Our findings reinforce the theory that there is something physically and biologically different in veterans who have MTBI and PTSD compared to those who just have MTBI.”

Related Links:

Saint Louis University School of Medicine


Gold Member
Solid State Kv/Dose Multi-Sensor
AGMS-DM+
New
Color Doppler Ultrasound System
DRE Crystal 4PX
New
Breast Imaging Workstation
SecurView
New
Computed Tomography (CT) Scanner
Aquilion Serve SP

Print article

Channels

Radiography

view channel
:	Image: The AI model could be a valuable adjunct to human radiologists in breast cancer diagnoses and risk prediction (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

AI Model Predicts 5-Year Breast Cancer Risk from Mammograms

Approximately 13% of U.S. women, or one in every eight, are predicted to develop invasive breast cancer over their lifetime, with 1 in 39 women (3%) succumbing to the illness, according to the American... Read more

General/Advanced Imaging

view channel
Image: The CIARTIC Move self-driving mobile C-arm has received FDA clearance (Photo courtesy of Siemens)

Self-Driving Mobile C-Arm Reduces Imaging Time during Surgery

Intraoperative imaging faces significant challenges due to staff shortages and the high demands placed on surgical teams in the operating room (OR). A common challenge during many OR procedures is the... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more

Industry News

view channel
Image: Samsung Medison CEO Mr. Yongkwan Kim and Bracco Imaging CEO Dr. Fulvio Renoldi Bracco endorsed a MoU agreement (Photo courtesy of Bracco Group)

Samsung and Bracco Enter Into New Diagnostic Ultrasound Technology Agreement

Samsung Medison (Seoul, South Korea) and Bracco Imaging (Milan, Italy) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement to pioneer a new area for diagnostic ultrasound devices and contrast agents.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.