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Function
Supraoptic
Tuberal
Mammillary
Paraventricular (PVN)
Supraoptic (SON)
Suprachiasmatic (SCN)
Ventromedial (VMN)
Arcuate
Mammillary
Posterior
Thermoregulation
Blood pressure
Lateral
Hormone axes and functions are detailed in the relevant sections of this chapter and later organ-specific chapters. Not all nuclei play endocrine
roles and some functions remain incompletely understood. However, general appreciation of the diverse function is important as disruption (e.g.
from space-occupying lesions or radiation damage) can have pronounced effects for patients attending endocrinology clinics.
Table
C 5.2)
(commonly
C
bitemporal; Figure 5.3)
Laterally - cavernous sinuses:
VIC(Table 5.2)
does
E no harm but prevents curative
surgery
Antero-inferiorly
sphenoid
sinus
(the
fluid
(CSF)
rhinorrhoea
secondary
C
to tumour erosion is rare
Categorization of tumour size
>1 cm diameter=macroadenoma
<1 cm diameter=microadenoma
oma,
lymphoma,
sarcoid,
histiocytosis,
or
an
unusual
tumour
called
a
craniopharyngioma
that
more commonly presents to the
paediatric
endocrinologist. Histologically, this tumour
is
benign,
but it is still invasive. It most likely
arises from the
The hypothalamus
The hypothalamus is a critical part of the
brain
RIGHT EYE
Figure 5.3 Visual field assessment. There is a bitemporal loss of the lower quadrants (black areas) caused by a
pituitary tumour compressing the optic chiasm. More commonly the upper quadrants are lost first; however,
such clinical variation is not unusual.
Function
Consequences of compression
Innervation of suprapalpebral
muscles
targeted
at
pituitary gland.
wake-sleep
cycle).
Occasionally,
despite
careful
monitoring of radiation dose, some
patients
consider that these latter functions become
disturbed
after external beam radiotherapy
the