Rathke's Cleft Cyst: MRI

CASE REPORT: 52year female with known sellar lesion for MRI ( with no prior details) shows- Complex heterogeneously enhancing lesion with deferentially enhancing (subtly, moderate, intense) components seen in sella-suprasellar region with unremarkable bony sella, infundibulum, sphenoid. Lunar shaped normal size intensely enhancing pars distalis component of pituitary with poorly defined posterior pituitary. Thin walled regular T1 hyper& T2 low signal mild enhancing mural nodule containing component in sella –suprasellar region causing compression of optic chiasma with normal cavernous sinus& ICA flow voids. Findings likely suggesting Rathke ’s cleft cyst with mass effect on optic chiasma& anterior pituitaryTeaching Points by Dr MGK Murthy, Dr GA PrasadRathke's cleft cysts are congenital, non-neoplastic sellar and suprasellar cysts derived fromfrom failure of obliteration of the lumen of Rathke's pouch, which develops as a rostral outpouching of the primitive oral cavity during the third or fourth week of gestation. The epithelium of Rathke's cleft cyst is a vestige of Rathke's pouch that is the precursor of the anterior lobe, intermediate lobe, and pars tuberalis of the pituitary gland. A Rathke's pouch has an anterior and a posterior wall and a central embryonic cleft. The anterior wall of the pouch proliferates to form the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland and the pars tuberalis; the posterior wall becomes the pars intermedia. The...
Source: Sumer's Radiology Site - Category: Radiology Authors: Source Type: blogs