title: Nasopharyngeal extension of a craniopharyngioma in a 4 year old girl.
abstract: Nasopharyngeal extension of a craniopharyngioma is very rare and usually presents with headache, nasal obstruction and visual disturbances. We present a case of a 4 year old girl, who became symptomatic with visual deterioration. MRI showed a huge supra - and infrasellar cystic craniopharyngioma with extension into the sphenoid sinus. Primary treatment was a transnasal puncture of the cyst followed by a subfrontal approach with removal of the tumour preserving the chiasm and optic nerves. The visual acuity postoperatively improved while she needed hormone replacement due to panhypopituitarism. Follow-up 12 months after the operation showed no recurrence. This is the youngest patient of about 27 patients reported so far in the literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buhl
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nabavi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fritsch
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Mehdorn
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003397:Craniopharyngioma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D003560:Cysts; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D010255:Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013101:Sphenoid Sinus / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology