Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
Department of Endocrinology, Medical University in Lublin, Poland.
Endokrynol Pol. 2021;72(5):505-511. doi: 10.5603/EP.a2021.0091.
Rathke cleft cysts (RCC) arise as developmental abnormalities of the pituitary gland and are usually diagnosed incidentally. However, they may present with headaches, visual impairment, or pituitary dysfunction. Rathke cleft cysts are poorly described in the Polish literature. We aimed to characterize presenting symptoms, associated endocrine dysfunction, and concomitant disorders in the Polish population of patients with RCC.
We performed a retrospective analysis of medical records of 102 patients diagnosed with RCC between 2006 and 2021 at Heliodor Swiecicki Clinical Hospital in Poznan and Independent Public Clinical Hospital No. 4 in Lublin.
The cohort was 72% female, with a mean age of 43 years. The median maximal cyst diameter was 7 mm. The majority of subjects were overweight or obese and presented lipid profile or glucose disturbances. Common presenting symptoms included headache, vertigo, and visual impairment. Less frequently we observed sexual dysfunction, irregular menses, galactorrhoea, or fatigue. Hormonal abnormalities were identified in 30% of patients, with hyperprolactinaemia being the commonest endocrinopathy (23%). Pituitary function in patients with RCC did not correlate with cyst size. Both concomitant pituitary adenomas and pineal cysts were diagnosed in 3% of patients. A considerable proportion of subjects were diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and multinodular goitre.
RCCs occur mostly in females and may result in a variety of symptoms and hormonal dysfunction. Patients require a full clinical and endocrine evaluation regardless of the cyst diameter. We report a substantial co-occurrence of RCC and metabolic disorders and primary thyroid diseases, which requires further investigation.
Rathke 裂隙囊肿（RCC）是垂体发育异常的结果，通常是偶然诊断出来的。然而，它们可能表现为头痛、视力障碍或垂体功能障碍。Rathke 裂隙囊肿在波兰文献中描述较少。我们旨在描述波兰 RCC 患者的发病症状、相关内分泌功能障碍和并发疾病。
我们对 2006 年至 2021 年在波兹南 Heliodor Swiecicki 临床医院和卢布林独立公立临床医院 4 号诊断为 RCC 的 102 名患者的病历进行了回顾性分析。
队列中 72%为女性，平均年龄为 43 岁。最大囊肿直径中位数为 7 毫米。大多数患者超重或肥胖，存在血脂谱或血糖紊乱。常见的发病症状包括头痛、眩晕和视力障碍。较少见的是性功能障碍、月经不规律、泌乳或疲劳。30%的患者存在激素异常，其中最常见的内分泌疾病是高泌乳素血症（23%）。RCC 患者的垂体功能与囊肿大小无关。3%的患者同时诊断出垂体腺瘤和松果体囊肿。相当一部分患者被诊断为桥本甲状腺炎和多结节性甲状腺肿。
RCC 主要发生在女性，可能导致多种症状和激素功能障碍。无论囊肿直径如何，患者都需要进行全面的临床和内分泌评估。我们报告了 RCC 与代谢紊乱和原发性甲状腺疾病的大量并存，这需要进一步研究。
