Large ossified Rathke's cleft cyst - A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

We report a rare case of symptomatic Rathke's cleft cyst with thick calcified wall. Brain CT scans revealed a large cystic mass with round thick calcified wall. In this case, we selected the pterional approach instead of transsphenoidal approach due to the possibility of cystic craniopharyngioma. Histopathologically, it was calcified Rathke's cleft cyst with focal epithelial metaplasia. This case illustrates that calcification of the suprasellar cyst does not always suggest craniopharyngioma and the calcification pattern of Rathke's cleft cyst is different from that of the craniopharyngioma. Copyright © 2008 The Korean Neurosurgical Society.