Prevalence and distribution study of sella turcica tumors in 20 years and more old cadavers dissected in the legal medicine center of Tehran in 1383-1384

The tumors of sella turcica are among the common causes of pituitary enlargement. In selected autopsy series up to 25% of pituitaries have a small incidental microadenoma. No comprehensive study concerning the prevalence of these tumors has been conducted in Iran previously. In this article the prevalence and distribution of sella turcica tumors in 20 years and more old cadavers dissected in the legal medicine center of Tehran in 1383-1384 have been studied. In this cross-sectional and descriptive observational study, 186 pituitary glands from cadavers dissected during the second half of 1383 and throughout 1384 were studied with a view to presence of tumor, type of tumor and size of adenomas and in relation to the age and sex of cadavers. The overall prevalence of pituitary tumors was 10.2% (19 of 186 glands) among which was 4.3% adenoma (8 cases), 4.3% craniopharyngioma (8 cases), and 1.6% meningioma (3 cases).Maximum prevalence of pituitary tumors (6 cases) was in 3rd decade and then in 8th decade afterwards (5 cases). The prevalence of pituitary tumor was 11.26% (8 Cases) of 71 cadavers in females and 9.56% (11 Cases) of 115 codavers in males. Among 8 observed tumors in females 5 were craniopharngioma, and 3 adenoma.Among 11 observed tumors in males 5 were adenoma, 3 meningioma, and 3 craniopharyngioma. Among 8 observed adenoma, 7 were microadenoma (diameter less than 10mm) and 1 was macroadenoma (diameter more than 10mm). In this study, no statistically significant relationship was observed between sex of the cadavers and the prevalence and type of tumors. The overall prevalence of adenoma and craniopharyngioma was equal. The relationship between tumor prevalence and age was statistically significant. Microadenoma was significantly more prevalent than macroadenoma.