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Symptomatic salivary-rest cyst of the sella turcica

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Summary

Although ectopic salivary tissue in the posterior pituitary is frequently observed in microscopic examination at autopsy, this tissue is considered clinically insignificant. The authors report a case of sella turcica mass causing progressive menstrual irregularities and mild hyperprolactinemia in a 22-year-old woman. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 1.2 × 0.9 cm non-enhancing mass of the postero-inferior sella turcica. The lesion was isointense to brain on T1-weighted images and hypo- to iso-intense on T2-weighted images. Transsphenoidal exploration revealed that the cyst wall consisted entirely of normal appearing salivary gland. The clinical, radiographic, and pathologic features of this unique entity are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurosurgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    S. B. Tatter & B. Swearingen

  2. Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    M. A. Edgar

  3. Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    A. Klibanski

Authors
  1. S. B. Tatter
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  2. M. A. Edgar
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  3. A. Klibanski
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  4. B. Swearingen
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Tatter, S.B., Edgar, M.A., Klibanski, A. et al. Symptomatic salivary-rest cyst of the sella turcica. Acta neurochir 135, 150–153 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02187760

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