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Han, Kim, Kim, Lee, and Bae: Persistent Craniopharyngeal Canal with Posterior Pituitary Ectopia: A Case Report
Neuroradiology

Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology 2016; 74(3): 210-213.

Published online: 29 February 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3348/jksr.2016.74.3.210

Persistent Craniopharyngeal Canal with Posterior Pituitary Ectopia: A Case Report

Donghwa Han, MD, Soung Hee Kim, MD, Ji-Young Kim, MD, Jihae Lee, MD, Kyung Eun Bae, MD

Department of Radiology, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Corresponding author: Soung Hee Kim, MD. Department of Radiology, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, 1342 Dongil-ro, Nowon-gu, Seoul 01757, Korea. Tel. 82-2-950-1182, Fax. 82-2-950-1220, kimshrad@paik.ac.kr

Received 2 October 2015       Revised 12 October 2015       Accepted 13 October 2015

Copyright © 2016 The Korean Society of Radiology

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Persistent craniopharyngeal canal is a congenital defect between sella turcica and nasopharynx. It is considered to develope from incomplete closure of Rathke's pouch, the precursor of adenohypophysis. Persistent craniopharyngeal canal can be associated pituitary anomalies and other central nervous system anomalies. We presented a case of persistent craniopharyngeal canal with posterior pituitary ectopia.

Keywords: Pituitary Gland, Pituitary Diseases, Sella Turcica

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

A 16-month-old boy with posterior pituitary ectopia.

A. T1-weighted MR sagittal image shows that normally T1-hyperintense posterior pituitary lobe is absent within sella turcica, and small bright high signal intensity lesion is located at the median eminence, anterior to the mammillary body (arrow), suggesting ectopic posterior pituitary lobe. Ill-defined isointense soft tissue lesion is seen at the inferior aspect of sella turcica (*), but normal anterior pituitary lobe is absent. A cortical defect is suspected at the anteroinferior wall of sella turcica (arrowhead).
B. Gadolinium enhanced T1-weighted sagittal MR image reveals prominent enhancement of soft tissue lesion at the inferior aspect of sella turcica (*), presumably the meninges with possible aplasia or hypoplasia of anterior pituitary lobe.
jksr-74-210-g001
Fig. 2

Persistent craniopharyngeal canal.

Axial (A), sagittal (B), and coronal (C) CT images of bone window setting show a cortical defect of the sella floor with a corticated canal between sella turcica and nasopharynx (arrow). It reveals a persistent craniopharyngeal canal. Incidental ethmoid sinusitis is also noted.
jksr-74-210-g002

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