Craniopharyngeomas

Craniopharyngeomas are very rare tumour that have been historically named after the pathologist Jakob Erdheim “Erdheim’s tumour”. Craniopharyngeomas are benign tumours that origin from remnant tissue of prenatal differentiation of the pituitary gland area. There haven’t been discovered any causes for the genesis of these tumours. In MR imaging the tumour can be diagnosed as a benign, often cystic formation in the hypophyseal region, that is also called Rathke’s cleft. Therefor, the tumours are located in the region of the pituitary gland at the cranial base.
Craniopharyngeomas are adjacent to very important brain structure: The proximity to the optic nerve can lead to visual impairment of loss of vision when the growing tumour compresses the optic chiasm. Additionally, pressure onto the midbrain can result in disturbances of sleep or temperature regulation and behavioural alterations.

Neighboring areas of the pituitary gland and hypothalamus are most important centers of regulation of hormons of the human body that are responsible for growth, regulation of body weight, puberty and regulation of renal function. Thus, impaired function of the pituitary gland can be responsible for alterations of day-night-rhythm, consciousness, alertness and feeding behaviour.

Due to the above mentioned interactions, treatment of craniopharyngeoms needs a teamwork of neurosurgeons, pediatric oncologists and radiotherapists to optimize the sequence of therapeutic measurues according the the most recent study Kraniopharyngeom2007. Due to the risk for hormonal and visual disturbances, neuroopthalmologists and endocrinologists are important partners of the multidisciplinary team. Pediatric Neurosurgery Leipzig provides close collaboration with specialised pediatricians and other specialists for a successful long-term care.

Download patient information leaflet for study Kraniopharyngeom 2007