Huge sellar chordoma: CT demonstration

Intrasellar chordoma masquerading as a pituitary neuroendocrine tumor: Illustrative case

Background

Chordomas are rare, locally aggressive neoplasms recognized as derivatives of the notochord vestiges. These tumors typically involve the midline axial skeleton, and intracranial chordomas exhibit proclivity for the spheno-occipital region. However, purely intrasellar occurrences are extremely rare. We report a case of intrasellar chordoma, which masqueraded as a pituitary neuroendocrine tumor.

Case Description

An 87-year-old female presented with an acutely altered mental state after a few-week course of headaches and decreased left vision. Adrenal insufficiency was evident, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intrasellar lesion with heterogeneous contrast enhancement and marked T2 hyperintensity. Central adrenal insufficiency due to an intrasellar lesion was suspected. Cortisol replacement was initiated, and transsphenoidal surgery was performed. Anterosuperior displacement of the normal pituitary gland and the absence of the bony dorsum sellae were notable during the procedure. Histological examination led to a diagnosis of conventional chordoma, and upfront adjuvant stereotactic radiosurgery was executed. She has been free from tumor progression for 12 months.

Conclusion

This case and literature review suggested that the pathognomonic features of intrasellar chordoma were heterogeneous contrast enhancement, marked T2 hyperintensity, osteolytic destruction of the dorsum sellae, and anterosuperior displacement of the pituitary gland. Clinical outcomes seemed slightly worse than those of all skull base chordomas, which were the rationale for upfront radiosurgery in our case. Neurosurgeons should include intrasellar chordomas in the differential diagnosis of intrasellar lesions, carefully dissect them from the adjacent critical anatomical structures, and consider upfront radiosurgery to achieve optimal patient outcomes.

Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery for Uncommon Pathologies of the Sellar and Parasellar Regions

Endoscopic skull base surgery has become an integral part of the present neurosurgical armamentarium. The pioneering efforts in which the purely endoscopic transsphenoidal approach was introduced have triggered a growing tide of using the endoscopic endonasal procedures for a large variety of skull base lesions. Because of their anatomical peculiarities, lesions of the sellar and parasellar regions lend themselves very well to the endoscopic endonasal approaches. Apart from the common pathological entities, many other less frequent pathologies are encountered in the sellar and parasellar area. In this chapter, we review the surgical technique of the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach and its extensions applied to a variety of rare and uncommon pathological entities involving the sella turcica and clivus. An overview of these pathological entities is also presented and exemplified.

Small Cell Glioblastoma of the Sella Turcica Region: Case Report and Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND

Glioblastomas in the sellar region are very rare; in most cases, the tumor originates from the optic nerve or optic chiasm. Only 4 cases of sellar glioblastoma with a nonoptic origin have been reported. We present such a case with detailed clinical, imaging, and histopathologic information. We also review similar published cases.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 42-year-old woman presented with endocrinologic abnormalities, including amenorrhea and lactation, symptoms of diabetes insipidus, and signs of elevated intracranial pressure. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a giant, heterogeneously enhancing lesion involving the intrasellar, parasellar, and suprasellar regions, with hypercellularity and signs of infiltration of adjacent structures. Intraoperative examination revealed the tumor to be independent from the optic pathways, but it showed infiltration of the hypothalamic region. Histopathologic examination demonstrated uniformly packed small cells and negative staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein, which was consistent with a diagnosis of small cell glioblastoma.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first report of a small cell glioblastoma in the sella turcica region. Glioblastomas in the sellar region with no clear evidence of an optic origin should be viewed as an independent disease entity. The typical characteristics of this tumor indicate it should be considered a rare subtype of glioblastoma. Further accumulation of experience is needed to better differentiate these cases and to offer optimal treatment.

Presentation, Treatment, and Long-Term Outcome of Intrasellar Chordoma: A Pooled Analysis of Institutional, SEER (Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results), and Published Data

BACKGROUND

Chordoma that occurs primarily in the sella turcica is rare and presents unique treatment challenges.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine common features, treatment approaches, and survival characteristics of intrasellar chordoma.

METHODS

Institutional databases, the SEER (Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results) database, and PubMed/EMBASE were queried for chordoma with a primarily intrasellar component. The SEER database was also queried for adult skull base chordoma. Patient-level data were extracted where available. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

Among 80 cases, the mean age at presentation was 55.6 (standard deviation, 15.9), with a female predominance (1.16:1.00). Patients experienced symptoms for a mean duration of 19.0 months, including cranial nerve deficits, hypopituitarism, and hyperprolactinemia. Among patients receiving treatment, 77.5% underwent surgery. In addition, less than half of the patients (n = 34, 47.3%) received adjuvant radiation therapy. The 5-year overall survival (OS) of intrasellar chordoma was 60.0% (standard error [SE], 6.9). Patients aged 40 years and younger had a 5-year OS of 80.8% (SE, 12.2), compared with patients older than 40 years, who had an OS of 55.4% (SE, 7.7) (Mantel-Cox, P = 0.044). Males experienced a lower 5-year OS (44.0; SE, 9.7) than did females (76.8; SE, 8.5), (Mantel-Cox, P = 0.003). Median OS was greater in patients with skull base chordoma than in patients with intrasellar chordoma (Mantel-Cox, P = 0.046).

CONCLUSIONS

Intrasellar chordoma presents frequently with visual disturbances and hyperprolactinemia and has a slightly higher incidence in females. Young age predicts a better prognosis. Intrasellar chordoma has a lower overall survival than has skull base chordoma.

Intrasellar chondroid chordoma: a case report

Chordomas are tumors derived from cells that are remnants of the notochord, particularly from its proximal and distal extremes, they are mainly midline and represent approximately 1% of all malignant bone tumors and 0.1 to 0.2% of intracranial neoplasms. Chordomas involving the sellar region are rare. Herein, we describe a 57-year-old male patient presenting with a history of retro-orbital headache, progressive loss of vision, and clinical features of hypopituitarism, for over 2 months. During evaluation, the CT scan revealed a large contrast-enhancing intrasellar tumor with a 3.6-cm largest diameter. The patient underwent transsphenoidal partial resection of the tumor, and histological examination was consistent with the diagnosis of chondroid chordoma. Although chordomas are rare, they may be considered to constitute a differential diagnostic of pituitary adenomas, especially if a calcified intrasellar tumor with bone erosion is diagnosed.

Chordoma in the sella turcica

A 75-year-old man presented with a rare case of chordoma in the sella turcica of the skull base. He had been treated for hypertension and chronic renal failure since 1990. Computed tomography detected a tumor in the sella turcica in 1994, but the patient had no clinical complaints and the serum pituitary hormone levels were normal. He died of disseminated intravascular coagulation, myocardial infarction, pulmonary infection, and multiple cerebral infarctions in 2000. At autopsy, the tumor in the sella turcica was 3.1 cm in greatest diameter and had compressed the pituitary gland posteriorly. Histological examination found oval cells and vacuolated short spindle-shaped cells which showed morphological changes similar to myxoma cells. The tumor was lobulated by narrow connective tissues. The tumor did not contain any cartilaginous tissue components, and was stained positively for epithelial membrane antigen but negatively for S-100 protein. The final diagnosis was chordoma. There was no association between the tumor and the cause of death.

Intrasellar chordomas mimicking pituitary adenoma

OBJECT

Whereas chordomas involving the sellar region are uncommon, largely or entirely intrasellar examples are rare. The goal in this study was to present examples of these rare tumors as a guide to their proper diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

The authors report three cases in which the chordomas filled the pituitary fossa and presented as nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. All lesions exhibited the typical histological patterns and immunophenotype of chordoma. One tumor, studied ultrastructurally and subjected to DNA analysis, was shown to have a diploid histogram. The authors present a clinicopathological study of these three cases and review the literature on intrasellar chordomas.

CONCLUSIONS

Although these tumors are easily misdiagnosed and therefore may not receive optimal treatment, aggressive surgical resection can yield a favorable prognosis in lesions with a limited extent.

Intrasellar chordomas mimicking pituitary adenoma

Whereas chordomas involving the sellar region are uncommon, largely or entirely intrasellar chordomas are rare. The authors report three cases in which the chordomas filled the pituitary fossa and presented as nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. All lesions exhibited the typical histological patterns and immunophenotype of chordoma. One tumor, studied ultrastructurally and subjected to DNA analysis, was shown to have a diploid histogram. The authors present a clinicopathological study of these three cases and review the literature on intrasellar chordomas.