Empty sella syndrome following cranial trauma in a dog

Espina, Claudia (author), Belén Gómez, Lucila (author), Castillo, Victor (author)

This report describes a case of empty sella syndrome in a 6-month-old male dog that experienced cranial trauma 4 months prior. Clinical signs included behavioural disturbances such as aggression and growth retardation. Clinical examinations, laboratory tests, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed the absence of the pituitary gland in the sella turcica and possible pituitary insufficiency indicated by decreased IGF-1 levels with TSH below the detection limit of the assay. The dog subsequently developed polyuria and intense polydipsia, raising suspicion of central diabetes insipidus. Persistent aggression led the owners to opt for euthanasia. In humans, empty sella syndrome has been associated with hormonal alterations, although it may be asymptomatic. This report underscores the importance of evaluating brain structures via MRI following cranial trauma and paying attention to the functionality of the endocrine system.

• Language: English
• Keywords: pituitary insufficiency, dog, magnetic resonance, imaging, empty sella, cranial trauma
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.03 - Other scientific articles
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2025
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 285-288
• Numbering: Vol. 62, iss. 4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-185533
• UDC: 616.43:616.83:599.744.111.2
• ISSN on article: 2385-8761
• DOI: 10.26873/SVR-2208-2025
• COBISS.SI-ID: 286013699
• Publication date in RUL: 07.08.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Slovenian veterinary research
• Publisher: Veterinarska fakulteta, Veterinarska fakulteta, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2385-8761
• COBISS.SI-ID: 275836160

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Sindrom praznega turškega sedla po poškodbi lobanje pri psu

Abstract

Poročilo opisuje primer sindroma praznega turškega sedla pri 6-mesečnem psu, ki je 4 mesece prej utrpel poškodbo lobanje. Klinični znaki so vključevali vedenjske motnje, kot sta agresivnost in upočasnjena rast. Klinični pregledi, laboratorijske preiskave in magnetna resonanca (MR) so pokazali odsotnost hipofize v turškem sedlu in možno insuficienco hipofize, na kar je kazalo zmanjšanje ravni IGF-1 s TSH pod mejo zaznavnosti testa. Pes je nato razvil poliurijo in intenzivno polidipsijo, kar je vzbudilo sum na centralni diabetes insipidus. Zaradi trajajoče agresivnosti so se lastniki odločili za evtanazijo. Pri ljudeh je sindroma praznega turškega sedla povezan s hormonskimi spremembami, čeprav lahko poteka brez simptomov. Poročilo poudarja pomembnost ocenjevanja možganskih struktur z MR po poškodbi lobanje in pozornosti, ki jo je treba posvetiti delovanju endokrinega sistema.

• Keywords: hipofizna insuficienca, psi, magnetna resonanca, prazno turško sedlo, poškodba lobanje