[MRI in the diagnosis of Rathke's cleft cyst].

PURPOSE

Rathke's cleft cysts are non neoplastic lesions of the sellar area that seldom are symptomatic. Their incidence has been underestimated before magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The aim of this work was to assess the value of MRI in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of Rathke's cleft cyst based on a retrospective review of 12 cases and a review of the literature.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the MRI features of 12 patients with Rathke's cleft cyst collected over 4.5 years. Patients included ten females and two males (mean age: 39 years). The most common presentation was the association of dysmenorrhea and pituitary dysfunction. MRI examinations were performed using a 1.5 Tesla system, T1 and T2 weighted sequences performed before and after Gd- DTPA injection. Signal intensity, shape, size and location of the lesion were analyzed.

RESULTS

In all cases, MRI examination showed a cystic lesion of variable size and signal intensity. The cyst was purely intrasellar in nine cases and a suprasellar extension was noted in three cases. Five patients underwent surgery providing pathological confirmation, four underwent routine follow-up and three were lost of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that MRI is an efficient tool for diagnosis, allowing appropriate medical decision making.