Nonabsorbable intrasellar stent placement for recurrent Rathke cleft cyst: illustrative case

BACKGROUND: Rathke cleft cyst (RCC) has a recurrence rate of 10% to 22%, and preventing recurrence is challenging. For patients who experience persistent recurrence of RCC, placement of steroid-eluting bioabsorbable intrasellar stents has been rarely described. However, recurrences are often delayed, suggesting that dissolvable stents may not be successful long-term. The release of steroids in close proximity to the pituitary gland may also unintentionally influence the hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary axis. OBSERVATIONS: The authors present a case of a 66-year-old woman with a persistently recurrent RCC who underwent drainage of her cyst with placement of a nonabsorbable intrasellar stent in the form of a tympanostomy tube. After repeat transsphenoidal drainage of her cyst, a tympanostomy T-tube was placed to stent open the dural aperture. Postoperatively, the patient’s condition showed improvement clinically and radiographically. LESSONS: Placement of an intrasellar stent for recurrent RCC has rarely been described. Steroid-eluting bioabsorbable stents may dissolve before RCC recurrence and may have an unintentional effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The authors present the first case of nonabsorbable stent placement in the form of a tympanostomy tube for recurrence of RCC. Additional studies and longer follow-up are necessary to evaluate the long-term efficacy of both absorbable and nonabsorbable stent placement.