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Updated: Jul 31, 2026
Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Neuroimaging in pineal tumors
F Reis1, A V Faria, V A Zanardi
1Department of Radiology, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Background And Purpose:
The authors report radiological findings in 11 tumors in the pineal region, which were histologically diagnosed as germinomas, pineocytomas pineoblastomas, ependymomas, teratomas, and astrocytomas.
Methods:
Computed tomography (CT) was performed in seven patients and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in all patients.
Results:
CT showed a solid or solid/cystic mass with variable contrast enhancement. MRI showed a heterogeneous mass, with hypointense signal on T1 and iso/hyperintense signal on T2-weighted images (WI) and gadolinium enhancement. Extension to adjacent structures occurred in five patients and spread through the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) in two.
Conclusions:
Pineal region tumors have no pathognomonic imaging pattern. MRI and CT are complementary in diagnosis and are important to determine localization, extension, and meningeal spread.
