and Embryology Related to Craniopharyngiomas

Fig. 1.1

A sagittal tissue section of a 7th week embryo (HE stain, 10 × 10). The brain vesicle can be seen, and the base of the diencephalon thickens. Meanwhile, Rathke’s pouch grows into the incrassated diencephalon. A clear acidophilic stained demarcation is showed between them, which is considered to be the pia mater. (1) Diencephalon, (2) Rathke’s pouch, (3) stomodeal, (4) brain vesicle. Arrow: Pia mater

../images/464048_1_En_1_Chapter/464048_1_En_1_Fig2_HTML.jpg — Fig. 1.2

A sagittal tissue section of a 10th week embryo (HE stain, 10 × 20). The mesenchymal cell differentiates to cartilage cell and closes the stomodeum part of Rathke’s pouch. The anterior wall of Rathke’s pouch continues to grow and forms a cell mass (adenohypophysis primordium). Meanwhile, the posterior Rathke’s pouch remains as a tube-like structure with several layers of epithelial cells. An acidophilic stained demarcation can be seen between nervous tissue and Rathke’s pouch. (1) Adenohypophysis primordium, (2) Rathke’s pouch, (3) neurohypophysis, (4) mesenchymal cell, which is going to develop into the diaphragma sellae. Arrow: Pia mater

1.3 Embryonic Morphogenesis of Membrane Structures in the Sellar Region

The pia mater reportedly appears during early neural tube development from glioblasts. Both the arachnoid and the dura mater are differentiated from ectoderm mesenchymal cells. The arachnoid structure can be observed in the 10th week. As the approach of the anterior pituitary and posterior pituitary occurs during the 5th to 7th week of embryogenetic development, the pia mater and several layers of mesenchymal cells should separate Rathke’s pouch and brain tissue (Fig. 1.3). Thus, from the point of view of embryonic development, Rathke’s pouch is located in the outside of the pia mater.