Pediatric endocrine disorders: a review of intracranial findings and appropriate imaging

Endocrine disorders in pediatric patients often involve a variety of imaging modalities as part of diagnostic workups or disease surveillance. This pictorial essay and review of the literature highlights a wide range of imaging findings for central nervous system pathologies leading to endocrine-related diseases, as well as for glucose metabolism disorders that impact the brain. In this review focusing on the central nervous system, congenital, developmental, inflammatory, and neoplastic disorders of the pituitary and hypothalamus will be discussed, as well as brain findings that may be seen with diabetic ketoacidosis and with congenital hypoglycemia. Differential diagnostic considerations, appropriate imaging protocols, and clinical management strategies will be described.