Very Unusual Sellar/Suprasellar Region Masses: A Review

Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery for unusual sellar lesions: eight cases and review of the literature

Background

Preoperative imaging for some unusual lesions in the sellar region can pose challenges in establishing a definitive diagnosis, impacting treatment strategies.

Methods

This study is a retrospective analysis of eight cases involving unusual sellar region lesions, all treated with endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery (EETS). We present the clinical, endocrine, and radiological characteristics, along with the outcomes of these cases.

Results

Among the eight cases, the lesions were identified as follows: Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) in one case, Lymphocytic hypophysitis (LYH) in one case, Cavernous sinus hemangiomas (CSH) in one case, Ossifying fibroma (OF) in two cases; Sphenoid sinus mucocele (SSM) in one case, Pituitary abscess (PA) in two cases. All patients underwent successful EETS, and their diagnoses were confirmed through pathological examination. Postoperatively, all patients had uneventful recoveries without occurrences of diabetes insipidus or visual impairment.

Conclusion

Our study retrospectively analyzed eight unusual lesions of the sellar region. Some lesions exhibit specific imaging characteristics and clinical details that can aid in preoperative diagnosis and inform treatment strategies for these unusual sellar diseases.

Diagnostic challenges of neurosarcoidosis in non-endemic areas

Background

Neurosarcoidosis (NS) is a challenging diagnosis, particularly when cases occur in low-prevalence, non-endemic geographic regions. In the United States, the highest incidence is in the Midwest and Northeast, compared to our Southwest location. While it is well known that NS may clinically and neuroradiographically mimic meningeal carcinomatosis, autoimmune or infectious pachymeningitis, neurosyphilis, or tuberculosis, diagnosis may be particularly challenging if systemic signs of sarcoidosis are lacking or unconfirmed or if dural-based masses are present. We reviewed our Colorado experience with NS cases, focusing our study on cases where NS represented the first histological confirmation of disease.

Methods

A search of departmental databases was conducted with the search term "neurosarcoidosis" to identify cases 1-2008 to 12-2019, inclusive of the given case numbers. Patients were only included if their clinical and neuroimaging features were unusual and only when a biopsy of the central nervous system (CNS) represented the first confirmed diagnosis of sarcoidosis.

Results

A total of 17 cases were identified, of which the biopsy of the CNS was used for the initial confirmation of the disease in 9 of them. The most unusual findings were two patients with dural-based masses, one of which had pure NS as the cause of meningioma-like lesions and the second of which had coexistent meningioma and intimately admixed non-necrotizing granulomas of NS.

Conclusion

NS with unusual features, especially in non-endemic areas, continues to yield diagnostic challenges for neurologists, neuroradiologists, and pathologists.

Primary papillary epithelial tumor of the sella: a case report of an emerging tumor type

Primary papillary epithelial tumor of the sella (PPETS) is a newly described tumor entity with prototypical location in the sella. Only two case series with ten cases have been described so far. These tumours have a typical papillary architecture with bland nuclear features, TTF-1 immunopositivity and low MIB-1-labelling index. Many of these tumours were previously assigned under the category of 'ectopic choroid plexus papilloma'. PPETS expands the group of TTF-1 positive tumours of the central nervous system. Histomorphology plays an essential role in making this diagnosis. We report a case of 44-year-old female with a sellar mass lesion, who presented with progressive loss of vision and diagnosed as primary papillary epithelial tumor.

Unusual features of neurosarcoidosis: A 18-year retrospective

BACKGROUND

Neurosarcoidosis (NS) is a challenging diagnosis for clinicians and pathologists. NS most often presents with leptomeningeal involvement where it mimics infectious or neoplastic meningitis, and in up to half of cases, systemic signs of sarcoidosis are lacking. Rare presentations include dural-based mass(es) (mimicking meningioma), hypothalamic/sellar-based lesions (mimicking pituitary adenoma), or as myelopathy (mimicking tumor or neurodegenerative condition). For pathologists, the morphological effects of prior therapy are not well documented. NS as an unsuspected cause of demise today is even less well known.

METHODS

Search of departmental databases and personal files, 2004-2022, for NS cases, with focus on the subset with features of interest to pathologists.

RESULTS

22 cases were identified (8 M: 14F, 13-66 years), in 11 of which the CNS specimen represented first diagnosis of sarcoidosis. 20 were surgical and 2 were autopsy cases. Focus of the study revolved around 2 surgical cases with NS granulomas intimately admixed with tumor (1 meningoma, 1 gonadotroph pituitary adenoma/pituitary neuroendocrine tumor (PitNET). One surgical and one autopsy case each had decrease in lymphocytes and well-formed granulomas, with increased fibrosis and hemosiderin in post-treatment tissues. We speculate, but cannot prove, that this may be due to prior steroid therapy. Both autopsy cases were women (38, 43-years), both with cauda equina syndrome/ progressive weakness as first presentation, and extensive spinal cord/nerve root sarcoidosis at demise. First diagnosis of NS/sarcoidosis was at autopsy in the 38-year-old.

CONCLUSIONS

Unusual features for pathologists are that NS can co-exist within benign tumors, prior therapy alters histological features, and even in the modern era, may be first diagnosed at autopsy.

Ectopic Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Case Report Written With the Help of ChatGPT

ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a chat robot program developed by OpenAI (OpenAI Incorporated, Mission District, San Francisco, USA). It is a natural-language processing tool driven by artificial intelligence technology. It can complete tasks such as writing emails, video scripts, copywriting, translation, coding, and writing papers. At present, several studies have been conducted on the use of this tool for academic writing, so we report a rare case of suprasellar ectopic pituitary neuroendocrine tumor (PitNET) secreting growth hormones, in a female 53-year-old patient with facial changes and hypertrophy of her hands and feet for six years. When asking questions on unusual topics, ChatGPT can provide answers but not specific ones, and similar to most machine learning solutions, verifying the correctness of information is a problem. Question asked from ChatGPT: Summarize ectopic pituitary neuroendocrine tumor. "Suprasellar heterotopic pituitary neuroendocrine tumors refer to tumors formed by the heterotopic growth of pituitary neuroendocrine tumor cells in the sellar region other than the pituitary glands. This tumor is common in middle-aged women, and it often manifests as headache, visual impairment, and endocrine dysfunction. Diagnosis is usually made by combining history, physical examination, blood tests, and imaging. Treatment is primarily performed through surgical resection of the tumor, radiotherapy, and drug therapy, and the prognosis is mostly good." The content in quotation marks is generated by ChatGPT.

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.

The sellar region as presenting theater for hematologic malignancies-A 17-year single-center experience

Hematological neoplastic mass lesions of the sellar region are rare. We identified five cases of hematological malignancy with first presentation in the sellar region from our departmental database of 1,405 patients (0.36%) with sellar lesions diagnosed over the 17-year period (2005-2021). All patients were females (mean age 55.2 ± 3.4 years). One patient had multiple myeloma (MM), one patient had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), while three other patients had lymphoma (intravascular lymphoma (IVL, n = 1) or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL, n = 2). Most patients presented with ophthalmoplegia, and one patient with diabetes insipidus (DI), with short duration of symptoms (median 30 days). All patients had an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and altered blood count, while patients with lymphoma had elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Sellar mass was demonstrated in three patients while the patient with IVL had an empty sella and in the AML patient posterior lobe T1W hyperintensity was lost. Two patients (IVL and NHL) presented with multiple anterior pituitary deficiencies and one patient (AML) had DI. All patients were treated with chemotherapy. Two patients responded well to treatment (one had reversed hypopituitarism), while three patients died. Differential diagnosis of sellar-parasellar pathology should include suspicion of hematological malignancy, particularly in patients with short duration of nonspecific symptoms, neurological signs (ophthalmoplegia), blood count alterations and LDH elevation, pituitary dysfunction and imaging features atypical for pituitary adenoma. Early diagnosis is crucial for timely initiation of hematological treatment aimed at inducing disease remission and partial or full recovery of pituitary function.

Salivary gland tissues and derived primary and metastatic neoplasms: unusual pitfalls in the work-up of sellar lesions. A systematic review

PURPOSE

Salivary gland (SG) tissue and derived neoplasms may occur in the sellar region. As the current literature is mostly limited to case reports, the puzzling case of an inflammatory SG removed by transsphenoidal surgery (TS) and mimicking a prolactinoma prompted us to perform the first systematic review of these unusual conditions.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Forty-four individual cases-non-neoplastic enlarged salivary glands (NNESG, n = 15), primary benign (n = 7) and malignant (n = 8) ectopic salivary tumours (ST) and sellar metastasis from eutopic primary ST (n = 14)-were suitable for the analysis of clinical, radiological and pathological characteristics. Therapeutic outcome was reviewed as a secondary endpoint.

RESULTS

All cases were diagnosed after surgery. NNESG commonly affected young and/or female patients, typically leading to headaches and hyperprolactinemia and originating close to the neurohypophysis. Submucosal SG should be excluded before concluding to an intrasellar NNESG after TS. No gender or age predominance was found for primary ectopic ST, which present as large tumors, with histological phenotypes similar to common ST. Hypopituitarism and diabetes insipidus were more frequent in ST than in NNESG. NNESG and benign ectopic ST rarely recur. Malignant ectopic ST should be distinguished from secondary localizations of eutopic ST reaching the sella by contiguity or metastatic spread; both share a frequent unfavorable outcome.

CONCLUSION

Sellar neoplasms derived from SG are rare but misleading conditions and pituitary dysfunction is likely to be more common than currently reported. Appropriate pathological evaluation and multidisciplinary approach are required.

Intracranial Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors Not Associated with a Cranial Nerve: Systematic Review and Illustrative Case

OBJECTIVE

Primary intracranial malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) not associated with cranial nerves are rare and aggressive neoplasms. The rarity of presentation has precluded rigorous analysis of diagnosis, risk factors, treatment, and survival. We analyzed every reported case through exhaustive literature review. In addition, we present our own experience managed with resection, radiotherapy, and first use of targeted therapy in a tumor of this type for a BRAF mutation identified during next-generation sequencing.

METHODS

Two databases, PubMed and Embase, and crossed references were queried for intracranial MPNSTs not associated with a cranial nerve. Extracted variables included demographics, risk factors, tumor characteristics, interventions, and outcomes. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to identify factors with survival benefit.

RESULTS

A total of 56 patients (including the present case) were included from 743 literature results. There was a male/female ratio of 1.5:1 and mean diagnosis age of 29.7 ± 21.8 years. Seventy-one percent of cases were sporadic and 23% neurofibromatosis type 1 related. Median survival was 29 ± 22.1 months with 1-year survival of 60%. Factors associated on univariate analysis with reduced survival were subtotal resection (P = 0.05), older age (P = 0.023), triton histology (P < 0.001), and early recurrence (≤6 months) (P = 0.018). On multivariate analysis, gross total resection reduced mortality risk (P = 0.011), whereas triton histology (P = 0.017) and infratentorial tumor location (P = 0.037) increased mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

We present a systematic review of intracranial MPNSTs not associated with a cranial nerve. These tumors have poor prognosis and benefit from aggressive resection, multimodal treatment, and close follow-up. Next-generation sequencing can show molecular alterations for potential targeted therapy.

Metastases to the Pituitary Gland: Histological Patterns of Spread and Review of the Literature

Few studies have focused on histological patterns of metastatic spread to the pituitary gland. We review our experience and that in the literature, 1970-present. Departmental cases, 1998-2021, were assessed for anterior versus posterior gland and/or capsular involvement and cohesive tumor obliterating underlying pituitary architecture versus metastatic cells filling pituitary acini with relative acinar preservation. Eleven autopsy/15 surgical cases, including 2 metastases to pituitary adenomas, were identified. Cohesive/obliterative patterns predominated histologically in both surgical and autopsy cases, but acinar filling by metastatic cells was extensive in 3/26 cases, focal in 5/26, and had resulted in initial erroneous impressions of atypical pituitary adenoma/pituitary carcinoma in 1 case and pituitary adenoma with apoplexy in another, likely due to focusing on necrotic areas in the specimen where the acinar pattern had been broken down and not appreciating nearby areas with acinar filling by metastatic cells. Although most pituitary metastases produce readily identifiable cohesive/obliterative patterns, diagnostic challenges remain with the less frequently seen "acinar filling" pattern. A dichotomy exists between patients with symptomatic pituitary metastases occurring early in the disease course and requiring surgical excision versus patients in whom asymptomatic small pituitary metastases are found incidentally at autopsy, the latter almost invariably in late disease stages, with widely disseminated metastatic disease.

Insights into non-classic and emerging causes of hypopituitarism

Hypopituitarism is defined as one or more partial or complete pituitary hormone deficiencies, which are related to the anterior and/or posterior gland and can have an onset in childhood or adulthood. The most common aetiology is a sellar or suprasellar lesion, often an adenoma, which causes hypopituitarism due to tumour mass effects, or the effects of surgery and/or radiation therapy. However, other clinical conditions, such as traumatic brain injury, and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, can result in hypopituitarism, and there are also genetic causes of hypopituitarism. Furthermore, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat cancer is increasing the risk of hypopituitarism, with a pattern of hormone defects that is different from the classic patterns and depends on mechanisms that are specific for each drug. Moreover, autoantibody production against the pituitary and hypothalamus has been demonstrated in studies investigating the development or worsening of some cases of hypopituitarism. Finally, evidence suggests that posterior pituitary damage can affect oxytocin secretion. The aim of this Review is to summarize current knowledge on non-classic and emerging causes of hypopituitarism, so as to help clinicians improve early identification, avoid life-threatening events and improve the clinical care and quality of life of patients at risk of hypopituitarism.

Relapsed granulomatosis with polyangiitis with panhypopituitarism

A man in his early 60s with a medical history of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) in remission for two decades without maintenance therapy presented with non-specific complaints of profound fatigue and 40-pound weight loss. He was seronegative for antinuclear antibodies and cytoplasmic antineutrophilic antibodies, but erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C reactive protein levels were elevated. Endocrinological testing revealed adrenal insufficiency, hypogonadism, hypothyroidism and diabetes insipidus. An MRI of the head revealed extensive sinonasal inflammation eroding through the floor of the sella turcica and into the pituitary gland and stalk. Biopsy of the sinonasal tissues was inconclusive. On review of his case, a multidisciplinary team diagnosed him with panhypopituitarism secondary to a recurrence of GPA. He responded well to glucocorticoids and methotrexate with marked reduction of pituitary enhancement on imaging and resolution of diabetes insipidus. He will require lifelong testosterone, levothyroxine and glucocorticoids for hormone replacement therapy.

Primary Pituitary Lymphoma As Rare Cause Of A Pituitary Mass And Hypopituitarism In Adulthood

OBJECTIVE

Differential diagnosis of nonadenomatous sellar masses causing hypopituitarism is still a challenge. Among these masses, growing evidence has demonstrated that primary pituitary lymphoma is a specific and emerging entity. The aim of our study was to describe our experience with a case of primary pituitary lymphoma and to perform a review of the available literature.

METHODS

We searched relevant databases up to March 2020, identifying 36 suitable articles basing on inclusion criteria (primary pituitary lymphoma in adult immunocompetent subjects). Overall, 43 cases were included in the review, adding a new case diagnosed and treated in our hospital. Epidemiologic data, clinical presentation, hormonal status, radiologic findings, pathology, treatment, and outcome were extracted.

RESULTS

Mean age at diagnosis was 58.9 years, without gender difference. Symptoms related to mass were common (52.3%), in particular cranial nerve palsy (70.5%), headache (56.8%), and alteration in visual field (40.9%). Impaired hormonal status was detected in 89.7% of patients; of them, 58.9% presented with anterior pituitary failure (partial or total), while 25.6% presented with panhypopituitarism. Overall, diabetes insipidus was present in 30.8% and hyperprolactinemia in 41.0% of patients. The majority of patients presented a radiologically invasive mass in the suprasellar region and cavernous sinus (65.9% and 40.9%, respectively) and histologic diagnosis of diffuse B-cell lymphoma (54.5%).

CONCLUSION

The differential diagnosis of sellar and parasellar masses causing hypopituitarism should include primary pituitary lymphoma, even in absence of systemic symptoms or posterior pituitary dysfunction. The disease has a heterogeneous pattern, so a collaboration between endocrinologists, neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, and hematologists is desirable.

Primary glomus tumour of the pituitary gland: diagnostic challenges of a rare and potentially aggressive neoplasm

Primary non-neuroendocrine tumours of the pituitary gland and sella are rare lesions often challenging to diagnose. We describe two cases of clinically aggressive primary glomus tumour of the pituitary gland. The lesions occurred in a 63-year-old male and a 30-year-old female who presented with headache, blurred vision and hypopituitarism. Neuroimaging demonstrated large sellar and suprasellar tumours invading the surrounding structures. Histologically, the lesions were characterised by angiocentric sheets and nests of atypical cells that expressed vimentin, smooth muscle actin and CD34. Perivascular deposition of collagen IV was also a feature. Case 2 expressed synaptophysin. INI-1 (SMARCB1) expression was preserved. Both lesions were mitotically active and demonstrated a Ki-67 labelling index of 30%. Next-generation sequencing performed in case 1 showed no mutations in the reading frame of 37 commonly mutated oncogenes, including BRAF and KRAS. Four pituitary glomus tumours have previously been reported, none of which showed features of malignant glomus tumour. Similar to our two patients, three previous examples displayed aggressive behaviour.

Are aggressive pituitary tumors and carcinomas two sides of the same coin? Pathologists reply to clinician's questions

Pituitary adenohypophyseal tumors are considered as benign and termed "adenomas". However, many tumors are invasive and a proportion of these exhibit an "aggressive behavior" with premature death due to progressive growth. Only very rare (0.2%) tumors with metastases are considered malignant and termed "carcinomas". Taking into account this variability in behavior and the oncological definition, pathologists have proposed changing the term adenoma to tumor. Here we explain why use the term tumor instead of adenoma and identify tumor characteristics, associated with a high risk for poor prognosis. In a cohort of 125 tumors with aggressive behavior (APT) and 40 carcinomas with metastases (PC), clinical and pathological features were very similar. The comparison of this cohort (APT+PC) with a reference surgical cohort of 374 unselected patients clearly shows that the two cohorts differ greatly, especially the percentage of tumors with Ki67 ≥ 10% (35%vs3%; p < 0.001). A five-tiered prognostic classification, associating invasion and proliferation, identified grade 2b tumors (invasive and proliferative), with a high risk of recurrence/progression. Because half of the APT+ PC tumors have a Ki67 index ≥10%, and 80% of them show 2 or 3 positive markers of proliferation, we suggest that tumors that are clinically aggressive, invasive and highly proliferative with a Ki67 ≥ 10%, represent tumors with malignant potential. The percentage of grade 2b tumors, suspected of malignancy, which will become aggressive tumors or carcinomas is unknown. It is probably very low, but higher than 0.2% in surgical series. Early identification and active treatment of these aggressive tumors is needed to decrease morbidity and prolong survival.

Primary papillary epithelial tumour of the sella: expanding the spectrum of TTF-1-positive sellar lesions

AIM

To describe four novel primary epithelial tumours of the sella with papillary architecture and Thyroid Transcription Factor 1 (TTF-1) expression.

METHODS

Paraffin-embedded tissue from the four cases and recurrence of patient 1 was investigated with haematoxylin-eosin, special histochemical stains, immunohistochemistry with a broad panel of antibodies and next-generation sequencing. The ultrastructure of one tumour was studied in tissue retrieved from paraffin.

RESULTS

The lesions occurred in three females aged 20, 26 and 42 years and a male aged 49 years. They presented with signs and symptoms secondary to pituitary stalk compression. Preoperative neuroimaging documented mixed solid and cystic, enhancing sellar masses with suprasellar extension. Histologically, the tumours showed thin papillae lined by a single layer of cytokeratin and TTF-1-positive cuboidal and cylindrical cells with mildly atypical nucleus. Next-generation sequencing performed in three cases did not identify any mutations. The main differential diagnosis included metastasis from lung or thyroid carcinoma, extraventricular choroid plexus papilloma and sellar ependymoma.

CONCLUSION

We suggest the descriptive term of primary papillary epithelial tumour of the sella (PPETS) for this entity and propose that it could represent the intracranial equivalent of thyroid-like low-grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma. The cell of origin of PPETS remains undetermined although the intense and ubiquitous expression of TTF-1 may suggest a derivation from the infundibulum or ventricular recess. Our study expands the spectrum of sellar TTF-1-positive tumour and challenges the view that they all derive from pituicytes.

How to Classify the Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors (PitNET)s in 2020

Adenohypophyseal tumors, which were recently renamed pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNET), are mostly benign, but may present various behaviors: invasive, “aggressive” and malignant with metastases. They are classified into seven morphofunctional types and three lineages: lactotroph, somatotroph and thyrotroph (PIT1 lineage), corticotroph (TPIT lineage) or gonadotroph (SF1 lineage), null cell or immunonegative tumor and plurihormonal tumors. The WHO 2017 classification suggested that subtypes, such as male lactotroph, silent corticotroph and Crooke cell, sparsely granulated somatotroph, and silent plurihormonal PIT1 positive tumors, should be considered as “high risk” tumors. However, the prognostic impact of these subtypes and of each morphologic type remains controversial. In contrast, the French five-tiered classification, taking into account the invasion, the immuno-histochemical (IHC) type, and the proliferative markers (Ki-67 index, mitotic count, p53 positivity), has a prognostic value validated by statistical analysis in 4 independent cohorts. A standardized report for the diagnosis of pituitary tumors, integrating all these parameters, has been proposed by the European Pituitary Pathology Group (EPPG). In 2020, the pituitary pathologist must be considered as a member of the multidisciplinary pituitary team. The pathological diagnosis may help the clinician to adapt the post-operative management, including appropriate follow-up and early recognition and treatment of potentially aggressive forms.

Sellar surprises: a single-centre experience of unusual sellar masses

BACKGROUND

Most common incidentally detected sellar-suprasellar region (SSR) masses are pituitary adenomas, followed by craniopharyngioma, rathke's cleft cyst, hypophysitis, and meningioma. Besides these, certain unusual SSR lesions can sometimes present as diagnostic challenges, where diagnosis is often made post-operatively on histopathology, the pre-operative suspicion of which might have influenced the management strategies. Series describing such masses are few.

OBJECTIVE

To present clinical, biochemical, and radiological characteristics and management outcomes of rare SSR lesions other than pituitary adenomas, craniopharyngioma, rathke's cleft cyst, hypophysitis, and meningioma.

DESIGN, SETTING, PATIENTS

Retrospective case record analysis of patients with uncommon SSR masses (from January 2006 to December 2016).

RESULTS

Our series consisted of ten patients, five with neoplastic and five with non-neoplastic lesions. Neoplastic masses included granular cell tumor (n = 2), astrocytoma (n = 1), malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST, n = 1), and metastasis from occult papillary carcinoma of thyroid (n = 1), while non-neoplastic masses were aspergillus abscess (n = 1), sterile abscess (n = 1), and tubercular abscess (n = 1), aneurysm of left internal carotid artery (n = 1), and ruptured dermoid cyst (n = 1). All patients (except one) presented with headache and/or visual disturbance. Only one patient had acromegaly while most others had hypopituitarism. We describe detailed MRI characteristics of each of the lesion. Seven patients underwent trans-sphenoidal surgery. Post-operatively, five patients had permanent diabetes insipidus, while two patients died in early post-operative period.

CONCLUSION

Our series expand the differential diagnostic considerations of SSR lesions. Most of the rare SSR masses present with symptoms of mass effects and hypopituitarism. Except for some non-neoplastic lesions like sellar abscesses, aneurysms, and dermoid cysts which can have some specific imaging characteristics that can provide clue to pre-operative diagnosis, most of the other neoplastic masses have overlapping radiological features, and pre-operative suspicion remains difficult.