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Sellar and Parasellar Masses

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Atlas of Brain and Spine Oncology Imaging

Part of the book series: Atlas of Oncology Imaging ((AOI))

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Abstract

Lesions located within the sella and parasellar region of the brain may present with similar clinical symptoms and imaging findings. Anatomic location and key imaging characteristics can aid in the differentiation of these tumors. Major anatomic references within the sella and parasellar region include the pituitary gland, pituitary stalk, optic chiasm, hypothalamus, cavernous sinus, sphenoid sinus, and the meninges. Although the most common tumors located within this region are pituitary adenoma, it is important to consider other less common entities that will also be discussed in this chapter. Normal pituitary may vary in size with gender and age. Premenopausal women tend to have a larger pituitary gland than men and postmenopausal women. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is generally the modality of choice for identification of lesions within this region. There are a few imaging pitfalls and it is important to be aware that nearly 15–20 % of lesions found within the pituitary are asymptomatic incidental findings.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, MRI-1156, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Gitanjali V. Patel

  2. Department of Radiology, New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Sasan Karimi & Robert J. Young

  3. Neuroradiology Service, Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, MRI-1156, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Sasan Karimi & Robert J. Young

Authors
  1. Gitanjali V. Patel
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  2. Sasan Karimi
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  3. Robert J. Young
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sasan Karimi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Weill Cornell Medical College, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York Presbyterian Hospital, York Avenue 1275, New York, 10065, New York, USA

    Sasan Karimi

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Patel, G.V., Karimi, S., Young, R.J. (2013). Sellar and Parasellar Masses. In: Karimi, S. (eds) Atlas of Brain and Spine Oncology Imaging. Atlas of Oncology Imaging. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5653-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5653-7_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5652-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5653-7

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