Xanthogranuloma of the Sellar Region —Case Report—

Atsushi ARAI; Masamitsu NISHIHARA; Takashi SASAYAMA; Hideo AIHARA; Kohkichi HOSODA; Tomoo ITOH; Yoshio SAKAGAMI; Keiichi KUWAMURA; Eiji KOHMURA

doi:10.2176/nmc.50.488

Case Reports

Xanthogranuloma of the Sellar Region

—Case Report—

Atsushi ARAI, Masamitsu NISHIHARA, Takashi SASAYAMA, Hideo AIHARA, Kohkichi HOSODA, Tomoo ITOH, Yoshio SAKAGAMI, Keiichi KUWAMURA, Eiji KOHMURA

Author information

Atsushi ARAI
Department of Neurosurgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine
Masamitsu NISHIHARA
Department of Neurosurgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine
Takashi SASAYAMA
Department of Neurosurgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine
Hideo AIHARA
Department of Neurosurgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine
Kohkichi HOSODA
Department of Neurosurgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine
Tomoo ITOH
Department of Pathology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine
Yoshio SAKAGAMI
Department of Neurosurgery, Hyogo Prefectural Awaji Hospital
Keiichi KUWAMURA
Department of Neurosurgery, Hyogo Prefectural Awaji Hospital
Eiji KOHMURA
Department of Neurosurgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine

Keywords: xanthogranuloma of the sellar region, sellar tumor, hypopituitarism, craniopharyngioma, pituitary adenoma

JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

2010 Volume 50 Issue 6 Pages 488-491

DOI https://doi.org/10.2176/nmc.50.488

Details

Abstract

A 55-year-old woman presented with a rare xanthogranuloma of the sellar region after complaining of severe headache and visual disturbance 3 months previously. Clinical examination showed she was alert with early signs of bitemporal hemianopsia. Endocrinological examination revealed hypopituitarism. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an intrasellar mass extending into the suprasellar region and compressing the optic chiasma, which appeared homogeneously hyperintense on T₁-weighted images. Endonasal transsphenoidal resection of the tumor was performed. Histological examination disclosed granulomatous tissue with cholesterol clefts, hemosiderin deposits, fibrous tissues, and macrophages containing rich fat. The histological diagnosis was xanthogranuloma of the sellar region. Her visual symptoms recovered postoperatively although the hypopituitarism remained. Xanthogranuloma of the sellar region is rare, but must be considered in the differential diagnosis of tumors of the sellar region.

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