Atypical magnetic resonance imaging findings of craniopharyngioma

Three cases of craniopharyngiomas with atypical MRI findings are reported. The first patient had a nasopharyngeal craniopharyngioma. Its unusual location made diagnosis difficult. The second patient had a massive craniopharyngioma with extensive cystic expansion, involving the anterior, middle and posterior cranial fossae, and extending into the foramen magnum. The tumour of the third patient involved the suprasellar region with a large extension into the third ventricle, and demonstrated a predominantly high signal intensity on all T1-weighted, proton-weighted and T2-weighted images. These patients further stressed the complexity of MRI findings in craniopharyngiomas.