Olfactory bulbs in children (comparison MRIs)

(A) Coronal T2-weighted images through olfactory bulbs. The olfactory bulbs (arrows) appear as black dots surrounded by bright CSF. The olfactory sulci (arrowheads) are well seen. (B) Partial magnification of figure A. The crista galli (arrowhead) appears as a dark horizontal line, perpendicular to which is the dark line representing the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone. The dark areas medial to the orbits are air-containing ethmoid sinuses (e). (C) Coronal T2-weighted image of a 13-month-old with developmental delay and new onset seizure. Slice location is similar to figure A. Both the olfactory bulbs and olfactory sulci are absent. (D) Coronal T2-weighted image of an 8-month-old with panhypopituitarism. The child also has empty sella, small pit gland, and severe optic nerve hypoplasia. The olfactory bulb and olfactory sulcus is present (arrows) on the left side but absent on the right side. (Courtesy of Dr. Xing-Chang Wei, Department of Radiology and Imaging, Alberta Children’s Hospital.)