Xanthogranuloma of the sellar region in a patient with sarcoidosis

摘要

Xanthogranuloma of the sellar region is a very rare brain tumor with favorable prognosis and without reported relapses of purely xanthogranulomatous lesion after complete resection. A case is presented of a 40-year-old male diagnosed with and treated for sarcoidosis, complaining of headache, photophobia and loss of libido. Physical examination revealed generally scarce hairiness, while laboratory investigations showed panhypopituitarism. Expansive sellar and suprasellar mass compressing the floor of the third ventricle and optical chiasm was confirmed by cranial multi-slice computerized tomography (MSCT). Complete resection of the tumor mass using trans-sphenoidal approach was performed. Histopathologic analysis revealed cholesterol clefts, sparse lymphoplasmacellular infiltrates, macrophages, siderophages and foreign body giant cells around cholesterol clefts confirming the diagnosis of xanthogranuloma of the sellar region. Since preoperative diagnosis of xanthogranuloma is very difficult, therapeutic algorithm does not differ from other expansive lesions of the sellar region, but pituitary involvement should always be considered in patient with sarcoidosis since therapeutic management is non-surgical. Follow up MSCT imaging after 6 months revealed a solid, contrast-enhanced mass at the posterior base of the sella.