Objective: To investigate the clinical features and perioperational managements of craniophayngiomas located in posterior fossa.
Methods: Nine patients with craniopharyngioma situated in posterior fossa were included in the study. The clinical manifestations, neuroimage features, operational treatment, and perioperational managments were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS; All tumors associated with big or huge volume, arised from sellar/suprasellar region and extended into posterior fossa. Tumors showed cystic lesions in 2 cases and cystic-solid lesions in 7 cases. Headache was the most common symptoms (6/9), followed by cranial nerve deficit (4/9) and endocrine dysfunction(3/9). The supra- and infra-tentorial approaches were the optimal approaches for removal these tumors (7/9). Cranial nerves deficit was the most common complication in perioperative period. No perioperational death occured, most of the patients showed good recovery during the fellow-up period.
Conclusion: Craniophayngiomas in posterior fossa shows different clinical manifestations, radiological features, surgical complications to the tumor in sellar/suprasellar region.