Craniopharyngioma history and symptoms
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sujit Routray, M.D. [2]
Overview
Craniopharyngiomas are slow growing, and symptoms often are present for a year or more before the diagnosis is established.A wide range of symptoms may be present, depending upon the precise location of the tumor and its relationship to adjacent normal structures. Most common symptoms of craniopharyngioma include headache, nausea, vomiting, ataxia, polyuria, polydipsia, stunted growth, decreased libido, amenorrhea, weight gain, myxedema, vision loss, behavioral and learning problems.
Symptoms
Craniopharyngioma causes symptoms by:[1][2]
- Increasing pressure on the brain, usually from obstructive hydrocephalus:
- Disrupting hormone production by the pituitary gland:
- Polyuria
- Polydipsia
- Stunted growth, leading to short stature
- Delayed puberty in children
- Decreased libido
- Amenorrhea
- Weight gain
- Myxedema
- Pressure or damage to the optic nerve:
- Vision loss (bitemporal hemianopsia)
- 20% of children and 80% of adults with craniopharyngioma have visual defects
- These defects are often permanent, and may get worse after surgical removal of the tumor
- Behavioral and learning problems may be present, due to frontal and temporal extension
Visual symptoms
- Visual symptoms are frequent, and deficits on formal ophthalmologic assessment are present in the majority of patients.
- Symptoms can be a direct result of pressure on the optic chiasm.
- The specific deficit depends upon the growth pattern of the tumor.
Endocrine abnormalities
- Direct damage to or compression of normal structures can lead to a range of endocrine abnormalities.
- Most frequently observed complications include deficiencies of growth hormone, gonadotropin, thyroid stimulating hormone, and adrenocorticotropic hormone.
- Diabetes insipidus is frequent when the pituitary stalk is involved.
References
- ↑ Symptoms of Craniopharyngioma. National library of Medicine. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000345.htm
- ↑ Symptoms of Craniopharyngioma. Dr Dylan Kurda and Dr Frank Gaillard et al. Radiopaedia 2015. http://radiopaedia.org/articles/craniopharyngioma