What does a mri of the pituitary gland check for? what kinds of abnormalities does it detect? mri is without and then with contrast

Pituitary anatomy: Greetings, a pituitary MRI +\- contrast is done to evaluate the potential causes of pituitary hormone abnormalities. Typically, this would be looking for a pituitary adenoma, a benign tumor that can make excess hormones (eg-Prolactin) or damage the pituitary resulting in low hormone levels. Inflammation or a condition called an "empty sella" can also be seen and result in hormone problems.