Rathke's cleft cyst

Incidental Findings and Normal Anatomical Variants on MRI of the Brain in Adults for Primary Headaches

“…The cysts are benign sellar and suprasellar lesions (most commonly pars intermedia) arising from the epithelial remnants of Rathke's pouch which contain mucoid or gelatinous material within a thin cyst wall. 64 The peak incidence is 30-50 years, with a prevalence in one study of healthy volunteers ages 18-35 years of 3.9% 8 and about 11% in autopsy studies.…”

“…Rathke's pouch, first described by German embryologist Martin Rathke in 1839, is an evagination at the roof of the developing mouth which gives rise to the anterior pituitary. The cysts are benign sellar and suprasellar lesions (most commonly pars intermedia) arising from the epithelial remnants of Rathke's pouch which contain mucoid or gelatinous material within a thin cyst wall . The peak incidence is 30‐50 years, with a prevalence in one study of healthy volunteers ages 18‐35 years of 3.9% and about 11% in autopsy studies.…”

Diagnosis and Treatment of Parasellar Lesions

“…Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) represent the most frequent pituitary lesion revealed on MRI (30% diagnosed incidentally), with a usual peak of incidence observed between 30 and 50 years of age. Since they originate from remnants of Rathke's pouch, RCCs are usually located on the midline, generally as lesion between 5 and 10 mm as maximum diameter [24,25]. On MRI, RCCs can appear as T1-hyperintense (if protein enriched RCC) or T1-hypointense lesions (if CSF-like cysts), depending on their content.…”

Sellar and Parasellar Imaging

“…2 The anterior wall of the pouch fills with cells and forms the pars distalis, leaving a small cleft between it and the posterior wall, which becomes the pars intermedia. 3 A small infundibular process grows superiorly and becomes the pars tuberalis. 2 The posterior diencephalic tissue evolves into the neurohypophysis.…”