Sucessful Treatment of A Giant Craniopharyngioma:Combined Preoperative Stereotactic Cyst Drainage and Microsurgical Radical Excision: A Technical Note

ABSTRACT

Even though the craniopharyngioma was benign neoplasm pathologically, actually it is a clinical malignancy because its troublesome, harzardous and difficult surgical excision with high surgical mortality, morbidity and also high recurrency, especially in cases of giant sized tumor which diameter was over the 3 cm. The authors present a technical note of a giant craniopharyngioma which was mixed tumor of huge sized cystic portion and calcified solid portion in 10 years old female patient, and its diameter was 9 cm. The surgical technique of complete radical excision of tumor was staged combined method as initial percutaneous gradual drainage of cystic fluid by EVD system which was placed by stereotactic method and followed by successful radical extirpation of remaining cyst wall and solid mass by pterional-trans-sylvian microsurgical approach. There was no complication during and post-operatively.