| Bone: Sella turcica | |
|---|---|
| Sphenoid bone. Upper surface. (There is no label for "Sella turcica", but "Tuberculum sellae" and "Fossa hypophyseos" are visible near center.) | |
| Medial wall of left orbit. (Sella turcica labeled in upper right.) | |
| Latin | Turkey Chair ( from Sella, Sellae f. [nominative case, singular] meaning Chair, and Turcica, Turcicae f. [nominative case, singular] meaning Turkey (as in the country not the food), indirectly translating to Turkish chair. |
| Gray's | subject #35 147 |
The sella turcica (literally Turkey Chair - indirectly translating to Turkish Chair) is a saddle-shaped depression in the sphenoid bone of the human skull and of the skulls of other Hominidae including chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas.
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The seat of the saddle is known as the hypophyseal fossa, which holds the pituitary gland. The hypophyseal fossa is located in a depression in the body of the sphenoid bone. Located anteriorly to 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.
Since the sella turcica forms a bony caudal border for the pituitary gland, a pituitary tumor can extend only upward in the rostral direction. This can result in compression of the optic chiasm, which lies on top of the pituitary, enveloping the pituitary stalk. Compression of the optic chiasm can lead to bitemporal hemianopsia, and, when there is no relevant trauma, this clinical finding is pathognomonic for a pituitary tumor.
Sella turcica is usually used as a reference point with nasion to establish the base of the skull in cephalometric analysis. This is commonly done prior to orthodontic treatment. [1]
