Persistent Craniopharyngeal Canal with Posterior Pituitary Ectopia: A Case Report

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

doi:10.3348/jksr.2016.74.3.210

J Korean Soc Radiol. 2016 Mar;74(3):210-213. Korean.
Published online Feb 29, 2016.
https://doi.org/10.3348/jksr.2016.74.3.210

Case Report

Persistent Craniopharyngeal Canal with Posterior Pituitary Ectopia: A Case Report

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

Author information

Author notes

Copyright and License

- 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, Email: kimshrad@paik.ac.kr

Received October 02, 2015; Revised October 12, 2015; Accepted October 13, 2015.

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

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.

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.

References

1. Arey LB. The craniopharyngeal canal reviewed and reinterpreted. Anat Rec 1950;106:1–16.
  PubMed
  
  CrossRef
1. Ikeda H, Suzuki J, Sasano N, Niizuma H. The development and morphogenesis of the human pituitary gland. Anat Embryol (Berl) 1988;178:327–336.
  PubMed
  
  CrossRef
1. Kjaer I, Fischer-Hansen B. Human fetal pituitary gland in holoprosencephaly and anencephaly. J Craniofac Genet Dev Biol 1995;15:222–229.
  PubMed
1. Kaushik C, Ramakrishnaiah R, Angtuaco EJ. Ectopic pituitary adenoma in persistent craniopharyngeal canal: case report and literature review. J Comput Assist Tomogr 2010;34:612–614.
  PubMed
  
  CrossRef
1. Currarino G, Maravilla KR, Salyer KE. Transsphenoidal canal (large craniopharyngeal canal) and its pathologic implications. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 1985;6:39–43.
  PubMed
1. Hyun SE, Lee BC, Suh BK, Chung SC, Ko CW, Kim HS, et al. Reference values for serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 in Korean children and adolescents. Clin Biochem 2012;45:16–21.
  PubMed
  
  CrossRef
1. Yeon KM. Standard bone-age of infants and children in Korea. J Korean Med Sci 1997;12:9–16.
  PubMed
  
  CrossRef
1. Abele TA, Salzman KL, Harnsberger HR, Glastonbury CM. Craniopharyngeal canal and its spectrum of pathology. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2014;35:772–777.
  PubMed
  
  CrossRef
1. Fujisawa I, Kikuchi K, Nishimura K, Togashi K, Itoh K, Noma S, et al. Transection of the pituitary stalk: development of an ectopic posterior lobe assessed with MR imaging. Radiology 1987;165:487–489.
  PubMed
  
  CrossRef
1. Mitchell LA, Thomas PQ, Zacharin MR, Scheffer IE. Ectopic posterior pituitary lobe and periventricular heterotopia: cerebral malformations with the same underlying mechanism. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2002;23:1475–1481.
  PubMed