Craniopharyngiomas: Analysis of 68 surgical cases

Objective: Although craniopharyngiomas are benign pathologies, they have surgical challenges due to their locations, infiltrations, and potential for neuroendocrine problems. We evaluated the surgical outcomes, complications, the neuroendocrine problems in patients who underwent total or subtotal resection, and to reveal the ideal treatment regimen. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 68 patients who received pathologic results of craniopharyngioma between 1999 and 2019 in our neurosurgery clinic. The demographic characteristics, hormone levels, resection ratio (total/subtotal), residue and recurrence rate, and the complications after surgery were used in the analysis. Results: Twenty-six (38.2%) patients underwent total tumor removal, and 42 (61.8%) had subtotal removal. Fifteen (22%) patients had recurrence. Of the total tumor removal group, only one patient was determined as having recurrence. We detected hypothalamic–pituitary system deficiency in 15 patients with total removal and nine patients with subtotal removal. Of the 37 patients who had lesions smaller than 4 cm, only one died and 30 were in good health after surgery. Of the 31 patients who had lesions larger than 4 cm, five died and 15 were in poor or moderate health. Conclusion: Tumor size is one of the most important factors affecting surgical results. Subtotal tumor removal is associated with tumor recurrence and total removal with serious hypothalamic deficiency symptoms