Pituitary stalk Pituitary stalk The pituitary stalk (also known as the infundibular stalk, Fenderson's funnel, or simply the infundibulum) is the connection between the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary. The floor of the third ventricle is prolonged downward as a funnel-shaped recess—the infundibular recess—into the infundibulum, where the apex of the pituitary is attached. It passes through the dura mater of the diaphragma sellae as it carries axons from the magnocellular neurosecretory cells of the hypothalamus down to the posterior pituitary where they release their neurohypophysial hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, into the blood. This connection is called the hypothalamo-hypophyseal tract or hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal
Pituitary apoplexy replacement; in this case, blood levels of cortisol are determined at 9:00 AM (as cortisol levels vary over the day). A level below 550 nmol/l indicates a need for replacement. The decision on whether to surgically decompress the pituitary gland is complex and mainly dependent on the severity of visual loss and visual field defects. If visual acuity is severely reduced, there are large or worsening visual field defects, or the level of consciousness falls consistently, professional guidelines recommend that surgery is performed. Most commonly, operations on the pituitary gland are performed through transsphenoidal surgery. In this procedure, surgical instruments