&NA;A case is presented and 10 cases are reviewed in which abscess formation developed in an intrasellar tumor. The diagnosis was made preoperatively or before autopsy in only 1 patient. The mortality rate was greater than 50%. The most common presentation was headache, fever, and visual disturbances with an abnormal sella and sterile cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Nonconstant findings included meningeal signs and leukocytosis of the CSF. Trans‐sphenoidal removal of the tumor and drainage of the abscess with appropriate antibiotic therapy is recommended. (Neurosurgery,5: 718‐722, 1979)