ABSTRACT
This chapter describes anatomy and physiology texts and a Medline search using the keywords anatomy, endoscopic, pituitary and cavernous sinus. The triangular depression bounded by the optic nerve superolaterally, the carotid inferomedially and the the pituitary fossa medially is termed the medial opticocarotid recess (MOCR) and that corresponds to the medial cliniod intra-cranially. The pituitary gland or hypophysis cerebri is an ovoid body measuring approximately 8 mm in the anteroposterior diameter by 12 mm transversely by 4 mm high. In a well-pneumatized sphenoid the pituitary fossa will form a bulge in the midline in the posterosuperior aspect of the sinus. The diaphragmatica sella separates the contents of the pituitary fossa from the cerebrospinal fluid in the region of the foramen. The barrier may be very thin and consist of only arachnoid mater.
