the sella turcica which houses the pituitary (brain) is part of the occipital bone cranial bone.
the sella turcica which houses the pituitary (brain) is part of what cranial bone?
occipital bone
sella turcica





















































the sella turcica (latin for turkish seat) is a saddle-shaped depression in the body of the sphenoid bone of the human skull and of the skulls of other hominids including chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas. it serves as a cephalometric landmark. the pituitary gland or hypophysis is located within the most inferior aspect of the sella turcica, the hypophyseal fossa.





















































section::::structure.





















































the sella turcica is located in the sphenoid bone behind the chiasmatic groove and the tuberculum sellae. it belongs to the middle cranial fossa.
sella turcica
the most inferior portion of the sella turcica ("seat of the saddle") is known as the hypophyseal fossa, and contains the pituitary gland (hypophysis). in front of the hypophyseal fossa is the tuberculum sellae.





















































completing the formation of the saddle posteriorly is the dorsum sellae, which is continuous with the clivus, inferoposteriorly. the dorsum sellae is terminated laterally by the posterior clinoid processes.





















































section::::function.





















































the sella turcica forms a bony seat for the pituitary gland.





















































section::::clinical significance.





















































empty sella syndrome is the condition of a shrunken or flattened pituitary gland.
sella turcica