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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Craniopharyngiomas in Children - Experience of Consecutive 152 Operated Cases

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Context Craniopharyngiomas (CPH) are benign tumors, rarely encountered in children, representing 5-6% of all intracranial tumors. Objective This study aimed to analyze the surgical management and quality of life in a series of CPH pediatric cases. Design This was a multicenter study performed over a 25-year period (1994 - 2019) in Bucharest. Subjects and methods 152 children (0-17 years old) were treated for CPH. Preoperative manifestations were intracranial hypertension, endocrine dysfunction, visual impairment, ataxia, intellectual performance decrease. Results Considering all surgical approaches used, we advocate for pterional approach to best fit in CPH. We achieved gross-total removal (GTR) in 83 cases (54.4%), near-total resection (NTR) in 13 cases (9%), partial resection (PTR) in 51 cases (33.3%). 5 cases were biopsies (3.2%). Gamma Knife Surgery was performed in 10 cases (6.5%), all recurrences. At 6 months GOS revealed: Good Recovery 70 cases (46.2%), Moderate Disability 62 cases (40.7%), Severe Disability 13 (8.5%), Vegetative State 2 cases (1.3%), Deceased 5 cases (3.2%). Complications were: diabetes insipidus (89.3%); hypopituitarism (66.4%); hypothalamic damage (17.7%); visual deterioration (18.4%). Conclusions Surgery remains the main option, but GTR complications prove the necessity for a multidisciplinary approach. Outcome predicting factors are: age, tumor size, hydrocephalus degree, hypothalamic dysfunction.