Symptomatic rathke's cleft cysts.

Two unusual cases of symptomatic Rathke's cleft cysts are reported. In one, the cyst was entirely suprasellar with a normal sella turcica. The gross visual failure, hypothalamic disturbances, and hypopituitarism of the patient resolved after a transfrontal aspiration and partial excision of the wall of the cyst. The second patient was a pituitary dwarf with hypothalamic dysfunction, but with normal vision. The patient had a large intrasellar cyst that exhibited marked suprasellar extension with calcification of the capsular rim. After transsphenoidal aspiration and partial excision of the wall of the cyst, the patient achieved a satisfactory recovery. The differential features between Rathke's cleft cyst and craniopharyngioma are highlighted.