Gross and microscopic study of pituitary gland in cases of alleged suicidal deaths

The pituitary gland lies in the pocket of the sphenoid bone at the base of the brain. It is divided into two parts: the anterior pituitary and the posterior pituitary. The anterior pituitary secretes Growth hormones, Prolactin, ACTH, TSH, FSH and LH; whereas posterior pituitary secretes Oxytocin and Vasopressin. The average weight of pituitary gland in healthy adults is around 0.5 g.

To study and correlate the weight and morphology of the pituitary glands in suicidal and non suicidal cases.

The pituitary were collected from dead bodies brought for medicolegal postmortem examination conducted by the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology from Dec. 2015 to Sep. 2017. After removal, the weight of the gland was recorded and then the gland was preserved in 10% formalin for more than 2 weeks for fixation. After the period of fixation, grossing of the gland was done and slides were prepared and studied.

In the study group, maximum weight of pituitary gland was 0.7 grams and minimum was 0.4 grams; whereas in the control group, maximum weight was 0.55 grams and minimum was 0.43 grams. There was no significant difference between the weight of the pituitary gland in the suicidal and the non suicidal groups (SD-0.49, p=0.54). Morphologically, in the study group, 10% cases revealed significant pathological finding of hypophysitis. In control cases, none of the 50 cases showed any pathological finding.