title: [The diagnosis and treatment of hypothalamic hamartoma in children].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of hypothalamic hamartoma in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen cases of hypothalamic hamartoma in children, including 9 boys and 9 girls, were examined with CT and MRI. Eleven cases underwent operation. Post-operation follow-up was conducted for 0.5 approximately 6 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main clinical features of hypothalamic hamartoma were precocious puberty and gelastic seizures, some combine with other kinds of seizures, mental retardation or congenital abnormalities. The effective rate of surgery was 91%; patients with simple precocious puberty were cured.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Microsurgery is the first choice of treatment for hypothalamic hamartoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Tiantan Hospital, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006222:Hamartoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007027:Hypothalamic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed