Abscess formation in Rathke's cleft cyst (original) (raw)
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Pituitary abscess: a report of two cases
Pituitary, 2008
Pituitary abscess (PA) is an infrequent disease, which consists of an infection within the sella turcica that might be life-threatening. We present here two cases of this rare entity. Case 1: A 53-year-old woman was followed for an incidentally found pituitary cyst. Six years later the cyst enlarged and transsphenoidal surgery was performed. Two years later, the patient developed sudden onset of intense headache and nausea. The MRI showed a 2 by 2.5 cm sellar and suprasellar mass, that enhanced peripherally with gadolinium contrast and became hyperintense in T2-weighted images, suggesting a new-onset cystic lesion. During transsphenoidal surgery, large amounts of purulent material were drained from the sella. The cultures were positive for Klebsiella Ozaenae. Case 2: A 63-year-old woman, 4 years after transsphenoidal resection of a GH-secreting macroadenoma, developed a new sellar 2.6 cm cystic mass. On re-operation, purulent material was drained from the sella. The lesion persisted on the MRI and visual acuity worsened so a repeat pituitary decompression was carried out 6 months later, obtaining the same pathological results. Three years later, the MRI still shows the same mass. She feels well and her physical examination and clinical history are unremarkable. These cases illustrate the difficulties in the diagnosis and management of this rare entity.
Abscess formation within a Rathke's cleft cyst
Journal of Surgical Case Reports, 2014
We report and discuss the rare case of a pituitary abscess forming within a Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC). A 66-year-old gentleman presented with visual deterioration and symptoms suggestive of hypopituitarism. The patient underwent transsphenoidal debulking of the lesion whereupon purulent material was discovered. Histological examination was suggestive of RCC together with numerous neutrophils characteristic of abscess. Microbiological culture of the material grew Staphylococcus aureus. The patient was treated for a RCC abscess and received antibiotics and endocrine replacement therapy. The patient has been followed up for 2 years without recurrence. Although uncommon, we recommend the consideration of RCC abscess as a differential diagnosis of a pituitary mass lesion as clinical presentation and radiological assessment are not specific in identifying these lesions preoperatively.
Rathke's Cleft Cyst Abscess with a Very Unusual Course
Asian Journal of Neurosurgery
Infected Rathke's cleft cysts (RCC) are extremely rare with only a few published cases. We report the case of a 31-year-old man who presented with headaches, visual disturbance, and hypopituitarism secondary to an infected RCC with extension of abscesses along the optic tract. Magnetic resonance imaging showed ring enhancing cystic lesions within an expanded sella with suprasellar and intraparenchymal extension. The radiological appearance suggested a high-grade optic glioma, but an endoscopic transsphenoidal biopsy revealed frank pus in the pituitary fossa, which subsequently grew Staphylococcus aureus. Pathological examination of the cyst wall showed an inflamed RCC. Following a prolonged course of intravenous antibiotics, the infection resolved and vision improved. RCC abscesses are rare and the intracranial extension of the infection in our case makes it unique.
Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2000
Pituitary abscesses are rare. Occasionally they will arise in pre-existing pituitary pathology. We report such an occurrence within a Rathke’s cleft cyst. On the basis of history and imaging, this was indistinguishable from more commonly encountered pituitary pathology.
Pituitary abscess: our experience with a case and a review of the literature
Pituitary, 2007
Pituitary abscess is a rare disease. Due to its potentially high mortality and morbidity rate, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of sellar masses. Despite recent advances in radiological investigations, making a definitive diagnosis preoperatively remains challenging. This 45-year-old Indian gentleman presented with severe throbbing headache for six months. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a sellar mass with peripheral enhancement that was misdiagnosed as a pituitary macroadenoma. A trans-sphenoidal excision was done, which surprisingly yielded only pus that was drained accordingly from the lesion. Fungal and bacterial cultures were negative. However this patient subsequently lost complete function of the pituitary gland, resulting in central diabetes insipidus and required permanent hormonal replacement therapy in the deficient endocrine axes. A Medline search was conducted and a review of 24 cases reported in the last 5 years discussed.
Pituitary Abscess: A Challenging Preoperative Diagnosis—A Multicenter Study
Medicina
Background and Objectives: Pituitary abscess (PA) is a rare occurrence, representing less than 1% of pituitary lesions, and is defined by the presence of an infected purulent collection within the sella turcica. Pas can be classified as either primary, when the underlying pituitary is normal prior to infection, or secondary, when there is associated a pre-existing sellar pathology (i.e., pituitary adenoma, Rathke’s cleft cysts, or craniopharyngioma), with or without a recent history of surgery. Preoperative diagnosis, owing to both non-specific symptoms and imaging features, remains challenging. Treatment options include endonasal trans-sphenoidal pus evacuation, as well as culture and tailored antibiotic therapy. Methods: A retrospective multicenter study, conducted on a prospectively built database over a 20-year period, identified a large series of 84 patients harboring primary sellar abscess. The study aimed to identify crucial clinical and imaging features in order to accelerat...
Unusual Presentation of Recurrent Pituitary Abscess
Rivista Di Neuroradiologia, 2010
Pituitary abscess is a rare pituitary pathology which may be potentially life-threatening if not treated. Therefore, early accurate diagnosis and therapy are extremely important. However, the clinical diagnosis is difficult because there are no clinical symptoms characteristic of pituitary abscess. It is frequently indistinguishable clinically or with neuroimaging studies from other pituitary lesions. The MR diagnosis of pituitary abscess must be suspected in cases of sellar cystic mass with a peripheral rim enhancement after contrast administration. It must be highlighted that pituitary abscess may show various signal intensity on T1-weighted images, as in our case, making the diagnosis even more difficult. We report an unusual case of a 66-year-old woman who presented with a recurrent pituitary abscess, initially misdiagnosed as a pituitary adenoma because of its high signal intensity on T1-weighted images. The woman was operated on three times, using transsphenoidal access with a good final outcome.
Pituitary abscess. A case report and review of the literature
Journal of neurosurgical sciences, 1996
The pituitary abscess is a rare pathology which presents an high mortality and morbidity. The diagnosis of pituitary abscess has to be excluded in case of tumoral hypophyseal syndrome; a correct diagnosis leads to an early treatment and to a decreasing of the mortality and morbidity. Antibiotics have to be associated to neurosurgical treatment in order to reduce the pre- and post- operative infectious complications. A case of pituitary abscess is reported: the preoperative diagnosis has been based on the clinical symptoms (visual field defect and meningeal syndrome) and on the neuroradiological images (CT, MRI).
Pituitary abscesses. Report of three cases
Neurosurgical review, 1994
Three cases of pituitary abscess are presented. In spite of improvements in radiological evaluation, preoperative diagnosis of pituitary abscess is quite difficult and definite preoperative diagnosis is rare in the literature. In our three cases, diagnosis was made postoperatively. Pituitary abscesses are associated with high mortality and morbidity. When first suspected, prompt antibiotic therapy should be considered. Early operative drainage seems to be an important factor in decreasing this high mortality and morbidity.
Rathke's cleft cyst presenting as pituitary apoplexy
Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 2002
Sellar lesions mainly constitute pituitary adenomas, craniopharyngiomas and benign cysts. Rathke's pouch cyst is a developmental sellar and/or suprasellar cystic lesion lined by a single layer of ciliated cuboidal or columnar epithelium, which rarely becomes symptomatic. The authors present an interesting case of intrasellar Rathke's pouch cyst, with a presenting feature of acute pituitary apoplexy. This was a 19 year old healthy male who had developed sudden headache and visual disturbance. Neuro-radiological imaging revealed a mass in the sella. Via transsphe-noidal approach a haemorrhagic intrasellar cystic lesion was removed and was confirmed as a haemorrhagic Rathke's cleft cyst by histopathological examination. Interesting clinical presentations and the neuroimaging findings are described and discussed.