• Hye Na Jung, Sung Tae Kim, Doo-Sik Kong, Sang-Il Suh, and Inseon Ryoo.
• Department of Radiology, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Guro, Seoul, South Korea; Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan, South Korea.
• World Neurosurg. 2020 Oct 1; 142: e1-e9.

BackgroundRathke cleft cyst (RCC) can cause acute symptoms mimicking pituitary adenoma (PA) apoplexy. We evaluated the clinicoradiologic features for distinguishing RCC from PA apoplexy.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated 22 patients with RCC and 24 patients with PA with apoplexy-like symptoms who underwent surgery via a transsphenoidal approach between November 1999 and December 2016. We compared the clinical data and magnetic resonance (MR) images between the 2 groups.ResultsThe RCC group was younger and had smaller tumors compared with the PA group (P = 0.02 and 0.001, respectively). The incidences of visual deficits and cranial nerve palsy were lower in the RCCs than in the PAs (P ≤ 0.02 for all). MR images showed more frequent intracystic nodules in the RCCs (P < 0.001), whereas nodular enhancement and lateral deviation of the pituitary stalk were more commonly seen in the PAs (P ≤ 0.003 for both). However, the presence of endocrine dysfunction or decreased consciousness, and the recurrence ratio, were not significantly different between the groups (P ≥ 0.48 for all). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, patients without nodular enhancement had a 15.84-fold greater risk of RCC than did those with nodular enhancement (P = 0.031). The probability of RCC decreased 0.59-fold with each 1-cm3 increase in tumor volume.ConclusionsRCC with apoplexy-like symptoms has different clinicoradiologic features compared with PA apoplexy. Patients with RCC present with milder ocular symptoms and smaller tumor volumes compared with those with PA apoplexy. The absence of nodular enhancement on MR images could suggest RCC.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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