What is craniopharyngioma resection?
The great majority craniopharyngiomas can be removed by either an endoscopic endonasal approach (through the nose) or a supra-orbital eyebrow craniotomy. Because of their tendency to be adherent to the optic chiasm, other nerves and important blood vessels, a total removal is possible in only 50 – 60% of patients.
How long does it take to recover from craniopharyngioma surgery?
Recovering from craniopharyngioma surgery can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Some patients need to take hormone replacements after undergoing surgery. This largely depends on whether the tumors have damaged the pituitary gland. In some cases, surgery may not remove all of the tumors.
How fast does a craniopharyngioma grow?
As craniopharyngiomas are in general slowly growing, symptoms may develop gradually – a circumstance which may contribute to the reported delay of 1–2 years between symptom onset and diagnosis (Garnett et al., 2007).
Can a pituitary tumor change your personality?
Personality changes are also common when a pituitary tumour causes the pituitary gland to over- or under-produce hormones. This can affect your emotions and cause changes in your sex drive. Larger tumours can have a greater effect on personality, as they generally affect a greater area of the brain.
Do you lose weight after pituitary surgery?
In general, most patients lose all of the weight they are going to lose within a year of surgery with most of the weight loss occurring between four and eight months after surgery.
What kind of surgery is used for craniopharyngioma?
The endoscopic endonasal approach is a safe and effective alternative for the treatment of certain craniopharyngiomas. Larger lesions with more lateral extension may be more suitable for an open approach, and further follow-up is needed to assess the long-term efficacy of this minimal access approach 11). see Craniopharyngioma transcranial surgery.
Is there a safe alternative to TCM for craniopharyngioma resection?
The multidisciplinary EEEA to craniopharyngioma resection represents a safe and compelling alternative to TCM. The authors’ data demonstrate that postoperative visual improvement is statistically more likely in the EEEA despite the increased risk of CSF leakage.
How does a craniopharyngioma affect the brain?
Craniopharyngiomas tend to push the surrounding neurovasculature upward and outward from a central location. Open skull base approaches have traditionally been limited by the need for significant brain retraction and for working through small surgical windows around major vasculature.