The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain, behind the bridge of the nose, and directly below the hypothalamus. It rests within a small bony cavity called the sella turcica, which is a hollowed-out depression in the sphenoid bone of the skull
. More specifically:
- It is about the size of a pea, roughly 1 cm in diameter
- The gland is connected to the hypothalamus by a stalk called the infundibulum or pituitary stalk
- It lies within the middle cranial fossa and is covered superiorly by a fold of dura mater called the diaphragma sellae
- Anatomical neighbors include the sphenoid sinus below, the optic chiasm above, and the cavernous sinuses laterally
Thus, the pituitary gland is centrally positioned at the base of the brain inside the protective bony structure of the skull, making it a crucial endocrine gland often called the "master gland" due to its regulatory role on other endocrine organs
