title: [Pituitary cystic mass with spontaneous disappearance: three cases of equivocal Rathke's cleft cyst].
abstract: Three cases with a pituitary cystic mass that spontaneously disappeared were discussed. Common characteristics of these 3 cases were presence of headache, cystic mass, spontaneous disappearance, and no recurrence. Based on clinical course, MRI findings such as cystic mass with ring enhancement, no calcification, and displacement posteriorly of the normal pituitary gland, and previous reports, these 3 cases were diagnosed as an equivocal Rathke's cleft cyst. We suggested that operative indication in an equivocal Rathke's cleft cyst, even though it was symptomatic, should be decided after sufficient follow-up, because there may be a possibility of spontaneous reduction or disappearance like our cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hatayama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimazu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Izumiyama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuwasawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020863:Central Nervous System Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009365:Neoplasm Regression, Spontaneous; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*