title: Suprasellar haemangiopericytoma--challenges in diagnosis and treatment.
abstract: Haemangiopericytomas of central nervous system (CNS) were first defined as a separate entity in 1942. Previously they were either considered to be a histological variant of an angioblastic meningioma or a distinctive mesenchymal neoplasm. Most commonly they are located in parasagittal and falcine region. Tumours in the sellar/parasellar location are very rare and commonly escape diagnosis before operation. They are characterised by high vascularity, a high rate of local recurrence and extraneuronal metastasis. We report a 35-year-old man with a suprasellar hemangiopericytoma who presented with bilateral diminution of vision in both eyes and frontal headache. Six months after the first operation, he developed a large local recurrence. He again underwent tumour decompression followed by postoperative conformal radiotherapy and is currently asymptomatic and stable clinically and radiologically. The various differential diagnoses, the importance of a preoperative suspicion of this diagnosis and management are issues discussed in this illustrated review.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India. rjalali@tmc.gov.in
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jalali
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Srinivas
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Nadkarni
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rajasekharan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D020863:Central Nervous System Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003399:Craniotomy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006393:Hemangiopericytoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012086:Reoperation; D012658:Sella Turcica