Rathke’s cleft cyst is a noncancerous (benign) growth in your pituitary gland. It can be asymptomatic or cause headaches, vision changes and hormone disruptions. What is a Rathke cleft cyst?
A Rathke cleft cyst (RCC) is a noncancer (benign) fluid-filled growth that develops between the parts of the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. It's a congenital deformity. This means that it develops while a baby is growing in the uterus. A Rathke’s cleft cyst (RCC) is a benign fluid-filled sack that forms near the pituitary gland at the base of the skull.
rathke's cyst, These cysts are present at birth (congenital) and usually form when an extra piece of the Rathke pouch connects to the pituitary gland during fetal development. Rathke cleft cyst is a benign, epithelium lined cyst with mucoid contents; it is typically located in the sellar and suprasellar regions. The below video explores Rathke cleft cysts in more detail, including how they form and how they are treated. It was recorded as part of an online talk that took place in June 2025. Learn about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of Rathke’s cleft cyst, a pituitary condition that some people are born with.
rathke's cyst, In Rathke’s cleft cyst, a cyst forms in a pituitary gland gap called Rathke’s pouch. Normally, the pouch closes before birth as two structures come together to form the pituitary gland. The gland, a pea-size structure at the base of the brain, controls hormones. Rathke’s cleft cysts are benign fluid-filled sacs near the pituitary gland. Learn how they form, when they cause symptoms, and what treatment involves. Often, Rathke cleft cysts do not cause symptoms and are discovered while a person is undergoing a magnetic resonance scan (MRI) being used to investigate something else.
Symptoms occur only when the lesion grows and compresses nearby nerves and structures.
