title: Comparative ophthalmologic studies on children and adults with craniopharyngiomas.
abstract: The subjects of the study are 74 patients with craniopharyngiomas treated at the Clinic of Neurosurgery, Bulgarian Medical Academy, within the period 1960-1989. Fifty of the patients are children and 24 adults. The diagnosis of all patients is made on the base of clinical, X-ray and histological studies. The ophthalmologic state was studied in all patients, prior to operation, via routine methods. Reduced visual acuity was established in 69.6% of the children and 81.8% of the adults. The presence of congestive optic papilla was diagnosed in 22% of the children and 12.5% of the adults. Optic atrophy was established in 62.5% of the adults and 52% of the children. Various defects in the visual field were established in 67.7% of the children and 81.8% of the adults with the predomination of bitemporal defects. The use of highly informative conventional and modern X-ray methods is recommended in all patients suspected of compression of the visual pathways.
authors.affiliation: Bulgarian Medical Academy, Institute of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery, Sofia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cherninkova
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tzekov
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Karakostov
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003397:Craniopharyngioma / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D009896:Optic Atrophy / Q000209:etiology; D010211:Papilledema / Q000209:etiology; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D014794:Visual Fields