Empty pterygoid refers to small pituitary tissue in the pterygoid cavity. Common causes include congenital large central foramen ovale, endocrine factors, infection, trauma, and so on.
1. Congenital central foramen magnum: this disease is mainly due to the pressure of cerebrospinal fluid, subarachnoid hernia into the pterygoid cavity, resulting in the enlargement of the pterygoid cavity, and the pituitary gland gradually shrinks due to the pressure, resulting in the emergence of empty pterygoid.
2. Endocrine factors: During pregnancy, the demand for hormones such as sex hormones and prolactin increases, and the pituitary gland is enlarged in order to satisfy the demand of the body, and the saddle area is enlarged and deepened. After delivery, the pituitary gland returns to the non-pregnant state after the hormone demand decreases, and the enlarged saddle area cannot return to normal, and the cerebrospinal fluid in the subarachnoid space fills the enlarged saddle area, thus forming an empty pterodactyl saddle.
3. Infection and trauma: Arachnoid adhesion occurs when the saddle area is infected or traumatized, resulting in increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure, which causes the arachnoid membrane to herniate into the saddle cavity and squeeze the pituitary gland.
It is recommended that patients with empty saddle should seek medical treatment in time.