Neurosurg Focus
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Review Comparative Study
Craniopharyngioma and other cystic epithelial lesions of the sellar region: a review of clinical, imaging, and histopathological relationships.
Cystic epithelial masses of the sellar and parasellar region may be difficult to differentiate on a clinical, imaging, or even histopathological basis. The authors review the developmental relationships and differentiating features of various epithelial lesions of the sellar region. ⋯ The pattern of embryological formation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis plays a major role in its propensity for developing cystic epithelial lesions. Subsequent inflammatory, metaplastic, and neoplastic processes may promote further progression along the pathological continuum, ranging from benign epithelial cysts to aggressive neoplastic cystic CPs. Selected clinical, imaging, and histopathological features can be used collectively to help differentiate these lesions and assign a formal diagnosis, thus accurately guiding further treatment.
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Review Comparative Study
Endocrinological and ophthalmological consequences of an initial endonasal endoscopic approach for resection of craniopharyngiomas.
The expanded endoscopic approach to craniopharyngiomas has recently been described in several small case series. The authors present their experience with this technique and review the available literature. ⋯ The endoscopic endonasal approach is a minimally invasive alternative to open transcranial approaches for select craniopharyngiomas. Similar to previous transcranial series, rates of endocrinopathy and gross-total resection were dependent upon the adherence of the tumor capsule to the hypothalamus, pituitary stalk, and associated vasculature. A review of the literature suggests that the results of the current series are similar to other published series on this topic.
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Comparative Study
Early outcomes of endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for adult craniopharyngiomas.
Although the transsphenoidal approach for subdiaphragmatic craniopharyngiomas has been performed for many years, there are few reports describing the role of the endoscopic transsphenoidal technique for suprasellar craniopharyngiomas. The purpose of this study was to report the outcomes of the endoscopic transsphenoidal approach for adults with craniopharyngiomas in whom the goal was gross-total resection. ⋯ The authors have achieved a high rate of radical resection and symptomatic improvement with the endoscopic transsphenoidal technique for both subdiaphragmatic (sellar/suprasellar) and supradiaphragmatic (suprasellar) craniopharyngiomas. However, this is also associated with a high incidence of new endocrinopathy. Endoscopic assessment of tumor resection may be more sensitive for residual tumor than the first postoperative MR imaging study.
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Giant craniopharyngiomas in the retrochiasmatic space are challenging tumors, given the location and surrounding vital structures. Surgical removal remains the first line of therapy and offers the best chance of cure. For tumors with extension into the retrochiasmatic space, the authors use the translamina terminalis corridor via the transbasal subfrontal approach. ⋯ This provides the significant advantage of visualization of both walls of the third ventricle and hypothalamus as well as inferior midline access to the interpeduncular cistern to permit safe neurovascular dissection and total tumor removal. In this report, the authors describe the transbasal subfrontal translamina terminalis approach, with specific emphasis on technical surgical nuances in removing retrochiasmatic craniopharyngiomas. An illustrative video demonstrating the technique is also presented.