Turkish saddle in the brain

Overweight people with frequent headaches and dizziness for a long time can not find the root of the problem. And to tell the truth, not all doctors can do it. It so happens that not finding the reasons, they simply advise to drink vitamins. This, of course, helps, but not all and not always. And then it would be useful to check the Turkish saddle in the brain.

Anatomical educational program

Very often, having heard the phrase Turkish saddle, our imagination draws amazing paintings with horses, travelers, deserts and oases. In fact, this is a common medical term for the space in the skull under the hypothalamus. It is very shaped like a saddle, and therefore has such a name.

This anatomical organ of the skull is responsible for many functions:

• promotes the development of "correct" hormones;
• affects the height and weight of a person;
• responsible for the regular menstrual cycle in women and the potency in men;
• controls the work of the endocrine, nervous and visual systems of the body.

The pituitary gland does not fully fill the free space of the Turkish saddle: a small part of it is diverted to the cerebrospinal fluid. It is when the secretion of the membranes of the brain takes up more space than it should be, it is a question of the empty Turkish saddle forming in the brain.

Pathology with a strange name: what are its causes?

Such changes in the structure of the brain never appear by themselves. Often they are preceded by the following factors:

• abortion;
• uncontrolled hormonal contraception;
• multiple pregnancy;
• cardiac and pulmonary insufficiency on the background of hypertension;
• severe traumatic brain injury;
• neoplasms in the brain or soft tissue necrosis;
• brain surgery;
• congenital abnormalities and abnormalities.

The syndrome of the empty Turkish saddle itself varies in its severity and form of origin:

• Primary degree is most often diagnosed in people with congenital abnormalities or overweight at the age of 30 to 40 years. At the same time, the patient himself does not experience any discomfort from such a pathology, and there are also no symptoms.
• The secondary degree occurs due to the growth of tumors, reduction of the pituitary gland itself or as a result of surgical intervention. Most often, it is at this stage of complications that some symptoms appear.

The clinical picture may include abnormalities in the endocrine, nervous and visual systems of the body. Basically, the symptoms are so uncharacteristic that it will not work to diagnose them, even a practitioner has 30 years of a doctor. From a number of possible symptoms of the Turkish saddle in practice, the following are the most common:

• migraines of varying intensity and duration;
• sudden jumps in blood pressure, rapid pulse, tachycardia;
• fever, chills, some tingling in the lower abdomen and in the limbs;
• occasional attacks of nausea and vomiting begin to disturb;
• visual quality problems appear, visibility is reduced;
• some puffiness of tissues may form at the bottom of the eye;
• excessive tearing;
• sometimes violations lead to complete or partial loss of vision.

Due to the ambiguous symptoms, since many signs of the Turkish saddle can equally well be attributed to hundreds of other diseases and pathologies, the real cause can be identified only with the help of the MRI apparatus.

Bring everything back to square one

Special diagnosis of the syndrome of the Turkish saddle is carried out in extremely rare cases. Very often, these abnormalities are seen by doctors completely by accident, for example, when MRI is done in case of a skull injury. With magnetic resonance scanning, the pictures will show a large amount of cerebrospinal fluid in the recess of the saddle, while the pituitary gland itself is often shifted to the right or lower wall.

Only when serious abnormalities are detected, is treatment of an empty Turkish saddle of the brain prescribed. In all other cases, when the patient feels well, and there are no obvious symptoms of worsening, it is inappropriate to take any measures. If necessary, doctors often resort to one of two directions in treatment. Consider them.

Surgical intervention

It is prescribed with a serious sagging of the saddle in the region of the diaphragm, as a result of which the optic nerve is compressed, or when the volume of cerebrospinal fluid is so large that its excess flows through the nasopharynx. There are only two ways to operate the Turkish saddle:

• Through the incision of the nasal septum. This method is the most popular today.
• Through the frontal bone of the skull. This method is considered the most dangerous and most traumatic. It is used in extremely rare cases, for example, when it is necessary to remove a large tumor.

Whichever option is chosen, the patient is additionally given a course of hormone replacement therapy and radiation after the operation.

Symptomatic treatment

This is the most preferred treatment option for empty Turkish saddle syndrome in the brain. The tactics of therapy is based on taking the following drugs:

• hormonal pills are prescribed depending on endocrine disruption;
• painkillers;
• blood pressure stabilizers;
• immunomodulators;
• drugs that regulate the menstrual cycle in women;
• sedatives, etc.

Symptomatic treatment is always under the supervision of specialists in such specialties as:

• ophthalmologist;
• gynecologist;
• neuropathologist;
• therapist;
• endocrinologist.

Allowed and even welcome home treatment folk remedies. The main thing is that the selected fee does not conflict with the medicines prescribed by the doctor.

In general, to prevent the devastation of the Turkish saddle in advance is impossible. However, it is recommended to at least try to protect themselves from such a phenomenon. For example, try to avoid traumatic sports, treat any endocrine abnormalities in a timely manner, and lead a healthy and active lifestyle during pregnancy. Take care of yourself!