1/4. Giant intrasellar arachnoid cyst manifesting as adrenal insufficiency due to hypothalamic dysfunction--case report--.A 67-year-old man first noticed loss of pubic and axillary hair in 1992 and then a visual field defect in 2001. He experienced loss of consciousness attributed to hyponatremia in April 2002. magnetic resonance imaging showed a giant intrasellar cystic mass, 40 mm in diameter, that had compressed the optic chiasm. The patient complained of chronic headache, and neurological examination revealed bitemporal hemianopsia. Preoperative endocrinological examination indicated adrenal insufficiency, and hypothyroidism due to hypothalamic dysfunction. The patient underwent endonasal transsphenoidal surgery. The cyst membrane was opened and serous fluid was drained. Histological examination identified the excised cyst membrane as arachnoid membrane. The patient's headaches resolved postoperatively, but the bitemporal hemianopsia and endocrinological function were unchanged. This arachnoid cyst associated with hypothalamic dysfunction might have been caused by an inflammatory episode in the suprasellar region.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/4. Giant hypothalamic hamartoma operated through subfrontal approach with orbitary rim osteotomy.INTRODUCTION: Hypothalamic hamartomas are associated with precocious puberty, gelastic seizures and severe refractory epilepsy. Treatment options include surgical resection, radiofrequency and radiosurgery. CASE REPORT: A 7-month-old girl presented with gelastic seizures and developmental delay related to a giant hypothalamic hamartoma. The patient was operated through a subfrontal approach. Intraoperatively the lesion appeared intimately adherent to the right internal carotid artery. Seizure control was improved after tumoral decompression. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of giant hypothalamic hamartomas should always include surgical resection, given the mass effect over surrounding vital structures. Subfrontal approach with orbitary rim osteotomy provides a wide exposure with minimal frontal lobe retraction. Close adherence of hypothalamic hamartoma to vascular structures may be present, requiring careful surgical manipulation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/4. Plasma cell granuloma of the hypothalamic region.Two patients suffering from diabetes insipidus, with additional symptoms of impaired vision and signs of panhypopituitarism and increased intracranial pressure, showed a normal sella tursica in the X-ray examination of the skull but large, dense space-occupying lesions in the hypothalamus on CT scans of the brain. NMR performed in one patient disclosed suprasellar growth of a hypothalamic lesion. Proliferation of lymphoplasmocytes and mature plasma cells was seen by light microscopic and electromicroscopical examination of biopsy samples in both cases; histiocytes and multinucleated giant cells were absent; tuberculosis, syphilis and sarcoidosis were ruled out by appropriate tests. plasma cells exhibited polyclonal immunoglobulin expression as revealed by immunocytochemistry using the PAP method. Taken together these features are typical of plasma cell granuloma. Transitory remission after radiotherapy was obtained in one patient.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/4. Giant hypothalamic hamartoma: an unusual neonatal tumor.A case of neonatal manifestation of giant hypothalamic hamartoma is reported. It is suggested that hypothalamic hamartoma should be included in the list of neonatal intracerebral tumors. magnetic resonance imaging appearance similar to that of normal gray matter on T1-weighted images and slightly hyperintense on T2-weighted images, without enhancement after gadolinium injection, is suggestive of the diagnosis. Hypothalamic hamartomas are congenital malformations, consisting of disorganized mature neuronal elements in proportions similar to that of normal tissue [1]. They are clinically evidenced in infants ranging from 1 to 7 years of age [1-5]. This report describes a histologically proved giant hypothalamic hamartoma diagnosed in the neonatal period. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is helpful to distinguish this congenital non-evolutive malformation from more aggressive neonatal tumors.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |