Two patients with cardiac involvement of hydatid disease are presented: one with hydatid cyst of the interventricular septum and pulmonary arteries and the other with multiple pulmonary cysts associated with intracardiac and pericardial cysts. The ability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to provide a global view of cardiac anatomy in any plane with high contrast between flowing blood and soft tissue ensures it an important role in the diagnosis and preoperative assessment of hydatid disease of the heart.

Two patients with cardiac involvement of hydatid disease are presented: one with hydatid cyst of the interventricular septum and pulmonary arteries and the other with multiple pulmonary cysts associated with intracardiac and pericardial cysts. The ability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to provide a global view of cardiac anatomy in any plane with high contrast between flowing blood and soft tissue ensures it an important role in the diagnosis and preoperative assessment of hydatid disease of the heart.

Of 500 consecutive unselected patients who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 20 (12 females, 8 males;mean age, 41 yr) were found to have empty sella. The clinical and imaging findings were compared to those in 20 normal adult control subjects, and 20 patients of comparable age and sex from the group of 500 consecutive patients. Variations in the pituitary infundibulum, the optic chiasm, and the sellar floor did not correlate to symptoms. Little difference in clinical symptomatology between patients with empty sella and control subjects was found. It is concluded that empty sella is often an insignificant finding in adults.Gouliamos AD, Athanassopoulou AK, Souvatzoglou AM, Kalovidouris AE, Vlahos LJ, Papavasiliou CG. Magnetic resonance imaging in empty sella phenomena. Neuroimag 1993;3:173-177 Coronal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is reported to be more sensitive than computed tomography (CT) for the diagnosis of empty sella [1][2][3]. Differentiation between partially empty sella and empty sella has become important because the number of diagnoses of empty sella has increased since the advent of MRL This study aimed to correlate the clinical and MRI features of 20 patients presenting with empty sella with those of control subjects. Anatomical variations of the patients were compared to their symptoms. J Materials and MethodsFrom a total of 500 consecutive unselected patients who underwent MRI, 20 ( 4%) were selected, and MRI findings of the brain and/or pituitary were reviewed in order to Received Jul 22, 1992, and in revised form Oct 1, 1992, and Feb 3, 1993. Accepted for publication Feb 5, 1993.Address correspondence to Dr Gouliamos. evaluate the clinical and radiological features of empty sella. Selection criteria included sellar size, sellar contents, presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the sella, compression of the pituitary gland, and infundibular location. Criteria for classifying patients into the empty-sella group were sellar shape and size, position of the optic chiasm and the pituitary infundibulum, and pituitary size. The diagnosis of empty sella was reserved for patients in whom compression of the pituitary gland was manifested by a vertical dimension 3 mm or less and a flat surface. There were 12 females and 8 males, with a mean age of 41 years. Twenty age-matched normal control subjects (50% female) were also studied. From the group of 500 consecutive patients, patients of comparable age and sex were selected and their symptoms evaluated in relation to those with empty sella and the control group. The symptoms sought and the percentage of positive symptoms in each group were compared. The clinical findings of the patients examined were reviewed and compared with the anatomical features observed on MRis. When benign intracranial hypertension was suspected, the ventricular size and subarachnoid spaces and optic nerve thickness were also evaluated.Examinations were performed on a 0.5-T MR MAX General Electric (Milwaukee, WI) CGR unit (5.0 software release)...

In patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, intracranial spread may occur via direct extension from the base of the skull or via perineural spread. Perineural spread usually affects branches of the trigeminal nerve. We describe two patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma, who presented with a solitary mass in the cerebellopontine angle without associated bony destruction. MRI findings mimicked those of acoustic schwannoma. The imaging findings and possible pathways of spread are discussed.

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