the portion of the sphenoid bone that houses the pituitary gland is the
sella turcica
title: Pituitary gland text: Pituitary gland In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. The hypophysis rests upon the hypophysial fossa of the sphenoid bone in the center of the middle cranial fossa and is surrounded by a small bony cavity (sella turcica) covered by a dural fold (diaphragma sellae). The anterior pituitary (or adenohypophysis) is a lobe of the gland that regulates several physiological processes (including stress, growth, reproduction, and lactation). The intermediate title: Sella turcica text: 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. The sella turcica is located in the sphenoid bone behind the chiasmatic groove and the tuberculum sellae. It belongs to the middle cranial fossa. The most inferior portion of the sella turcica ("seat of the saddle") is known as title: Sphenoid bone text: Sphenoid bone The sphenoid bone is an unpaired bone of the neurocranium. It is situated in the middle of the skull towards the front, in front of the temporal bone and the basilar part of the occipital bone. The sphenoid bone is one of the seven bones that articulate to form the orbit. Its shape somewhat resembles that of a butterfly or bat with its wings extended. It is divided into the following parts: Two sphenoidal conchae are situated at the anterior and inferior part of the body. The more important of these are: These ligaments occasionally ossify. The sphenoid title: Sphenoid bone text: front): This is divided into (by infratemporal crest): Foramen pierce it: This forms the posterior wall of the orbit These are two triangular wings projecting laterally from anterosuperior part of the body. Each consists of: Until the seventh or eighth month of fetal development, the body of the sphenoid consists of two parts: one in front of the tuberculum sellæ, the presphenoid, with which the small wings are continuous; the other, consisting of the sella turcica and dorsum sellae, the postsphenoid, with which are associated the great wings, and pterygoid processes. The greater part of the bone is ossified in title: Sella turcica text: This is commonly done prior to orthodontic treatment. "Sella turcica" is from the Latin words "sella", meaning seat, and "turcica", meaning Turkish. 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. The sella turcica is located in the sphenoid bone behind the chiasmatic groove and the tuberculum sellae.