Abstract We report a Rathkes cleft cyst which presented as pituitary apoplexy, a rare presentation. A 46-year-old woman suffered sudden headache and visual loss. T1-weighted MRI 3 weeks after this apoplectic episode demonstrated a cystic lesion between the anterior and posterior lobes of the pituitary, with some high-signal material layering in it. The mass showed spontaneous regression on an image 3 weeks later. Trans-sphenoidal surgery confirmed the diagnosis of a Rathkes cleft cyst with a haematoma within it.