PURPOSE: To investigate the shape and size of normal sella turcica on cephalometric radiograms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cephalometric radiograms of 200 orthodontic patients of age ranging 6-42 years were examined. All subjects were divided into 5 groups by age, the dimensional change of sella turcica was examined according to age, and the configurations of sella turcica floor, tuberculum sella, and anterior and posterior clinoid process were also observed. RESULTS: The contours of sella turcica floor were flat type in 54% and concave type in 46%. The contours of tuberculum sella were right angle type in 55% and obtuse angle type in 44%; Acute angle type and plane type were very rare comprising 0.5%, 0.5% each. The configurations of anterior clinoid process were point type in 80% and round type in 20% of cases, and those of posterior clinoid processes were point type in 60% and round type in 40% of cases. The dimensional change of sella turcica according to age range had significantly positive linear trend to sella turcica length, height, and width until 25 years. After 26 years, no significant increase was found in sella turcica dimension. Especially, the sella turcica length had more proportional increase than that of sella turcica height and width. CONCLUSION: The results of this study revealed that the configuration of normal sella turcica was variable and the dimensional change of normal sella turcica had a linear tendency with age until 26 years.
Humans ; Sella Turcica*

Schwannomas usually arise from sensory nerves, and most often from the vestibular component of the acoustic nerve. Intrasellar and parasellar schwannomas are exceedingly rare. It is difficult to distinguish them from typical pituitary macroadenomas because of their clinical and radiological resemblance. In this report, we present an unusual case of an intrasellar schwannoma with a suprasellar extension that radiographically simulated a pituitary macroadenoma.
Cochlear Nerve ; Neurilemmoma* ; Neuroma ; Sella Turcica

Most chordomas involving the sellar region are parasellar or suprasellar, and largely or entirely sellar lesions are very rare. The authors report a case which chordoma involve pituitary fossa and surrounding structures and presented as nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma. Successful surgical removal was conducted via endonasal endoscopic approach. The pathology exhibited the typical histological patterns and immunophenotype of chordoma. The authors present a rare case of sellar chordoma and review the literature on that.
Chordoma* ; Pathology ; Pituitary Neoplasms* ; Sella Turcica

Symptomatic Rathke's cleft cysts may be confined to the sella turcica or extended upward into suprasellar area. Like the more common cystic tumor of this region, the craniopharyngioma, they produce symptoms by compression of the surrounding structures. We report a rare case of a symptomatic Rathke's cleft cyst. The importance of the intraoperative differentiation between the cyst and a craniopharyngioma is discussed.
Central Nervous System Cysts ; Craniopharyngioma ; Sella Turcica

Fracture involving the sella turcica is a rare complication of head injury but draws attention of neurosurgeon because it can result in serious neurological, vascular and endocrine complications. Anatomically the sella being located central within the extensive basal dural attachments to the cranial vault, shearing force is transmitted directly to this structure and results in isolated complications. We recently experienced a case of fractured dorsum sellae complicated with cranial nerve palsy and report here with some references.
Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Sella Turcica

Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Sella Turcica ; Tuberculoma, Intracranial ; surgery

A Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC) is a benign pituitary cyst derived from the remnant of Rathke's pouch, and usually presents as an intrasellar lesion with varying degrees of suprasellar extension. However, to date, a description of a primary prepontine RCC with no intrasellar component has not been reported. The author describes an exceptional case of a symptomatic RCC located behind the sella turcica in a 41-year-old woman who presented with severe headache. The author also provides an embryological hypothesis of the development of an ectopic RCC, with a special emphasis on radiologic characteristics.
Adult ; Central Nervous System Cysts ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Sella Turcica

In the past many authors have contributed most of the fundamental observations of alteration in the sella turcica resulting from raised intracranial pressure and hydrocephalus, and some authors have attempted to distinguish different types of sella change specific to particular pathology. The author has observed upon the change of sella with proved hydrocephalus in 57 patients(45 cases of obstructive hydrocephalus and 12 cases of communicating hydrocephalus) during the period from Jan. 1967 to July 1973 at the Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Hospital. Results are as follows: 1. Among 57 cases in total; no evident abnormalities were seen in 18 cases(32%); erosion and circular expansion at the posterior portion of sella turcica in 36 cases(63%); erosion of the posterior clinoid processes in 31 cases(53%). These changes were more often observed in the cases over 15 years of age than under 15 years of age as well as in the cases of obstructive hydrocephalus than communicating one. 2. The changes of sella related to the site of lesion in obstructive hydrocephalus were as follows; radiologically normal sella were more often observed in the 3rd ventricular lesion than posterior fossa lesion, erosion and circular expansion of the posterior portion of sella in the posterior fossa lesion, and thinning and pointing of dorsum sella in the 3rd ventricular lesion. These changes of sella were not relevant to the age. 3. The changes of sella related to the duration of symptoms of raised intracranial pressure in the obstructive pattern were that the severity of changes was relatively proportionate to the duration; most of the changes were observed around the 6 months of duration regardless of the age. 4. The evident sellar enlargement was observed in 19 out of 36 cases with erosion and circular expansion of the posterior portion of sella, and sellar elongation in 4 cases. 5. Among 27 cases of the obstructive pattern being studied by ventriculogram, cases with anterior end of 3rd ventricle apart from the dorsum showed sellar changes in 40%, those touching the dorsum in 58%, and those extending into sella in 100%. The main findings in the latter two groups were the erosion and circular expansion of the posterior portion of the sella turcica. 6. The raised intracranial pressure did not produce the sellar changes without the change of vault in those cases below 15 years of age.
Hydrocephalus* ; Intracranial Pressure ; Neurosurgery ; Pathology ; Sella Turcica* ; Seoul

Sella turcica contains pituitary gland that has influence on craniofacial growth So, if the volume of sella turcica correlate to the function of pituitary gland, we can assume that the volume of sella turcica in skeletal Class III patients has some difference to that of normal occlusion group. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difference of shape and volume of sella turcica between normal occlusion group and Class III patients. The shape of sella turcica was Classified by Inaba method and the volume of sella turcica was measured in lateral and P-A cephalograms by Di Chiro method. To find out the possibility of the volume of sella turcica as diagnostic aid to predict Class III growth pattern, the correlation coefficients between the volume of sella and cephalometric variables were calculated. The results were as follows. 1. The volume of sella turcica in Class III patients is larger than that of normal occlusion groups. 2. The volume of sella turcica in female was larger than that of male in Class III patients. 3. The volume of sella turcica has close correlation with APDL ANB, SNA, SNB, ODI, gonial angle, post. cranial base length. 4. Sella Index (volume of sella / ant. cranial base length) can be a more accurate indicator that represent Class III growth pattern than volume of sella itself. 5. The morphologic pattern of sella turcica had no significant difference between two groups.
Ants ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pituitary Gland ; Sella Turcica* ; Skull Base

Empty sella syndrome shows partial or total loss of pituitary tissue and enlargement of the sella turcica due to incomplete diaphragm sellae and herniation of subarachnoid space through the defect. This syndrome usually occurs in obese, hypertensive, and cephalgic women, but it is often asymptomatic. We report a case of primary empty sella syndrome diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging scan with literature review in 57-year-old female patient who had had unilateral cataract operation and presented with bilateral visual disturbance and bitemporal hemianopsia at postoperative 2 months.
Cataract ; Diaphragm ; Empty Sella Syndrome* ; Female ; Hemianopsia ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Sella Turcica ; Subarachnoid Space