Hemangiopericytoma of the sella mimicking pituitary adenoma: case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Hemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a potentially malignant vascular neoplasm that in rare cases presents as a primary intracranial lesion, where most often it is meningeal in origin. Hemangiopericytoma arising within the sella turcica is an even more sporadic event. To our knowledge, only 9 cases of HPC presenting as a sellar or suprasellar mass have been reported in the literature. Often, these cases can mimic and be mistaken for a pituitary adenoma. We report a case of an 18-year-old woman presenting with a sellar mass which was thought both clinically and radiologically to be a pituitary adenoma. Based on histologic, immunohistochemical and electron-microscopic studies, the diagnosis of sellar HPC was made. Hemangiopericytoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of sellar or suprasellar masses.