Nonadenomatous Tumors of the Pituitary and Sella Turcica

While pituitary adenomas make up over 90% of all sellar masses, there are a number of less known tumors, both malignant and benign, which may arise within the sella turcica. These include relatively common tumors such as meningiomas and craniopharyngiomas, as well as extremely rare tumors such as pituitary astrocytomas and granular cell tumors. Unfortunately, many of these tumors lack characteristic imaging features, often making it extremely difficult to distinguish them by imaging alone from the more common pituitary adenoma. In this article, we review several nonadenomatous tumors of the sella, with a focus on their clinical features and typical MR imaging characteristics.