What happens when children don’t have surgery for craniopharyngiomas

Children with craniopharyngioma without surgery may develop endocrine disorders, slow growth, vision loss, visual field defects, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, which will affect the healthy growth of the children. Craniopharyngioma is a benign intracranial tumor. However, with the development of the disease, the tumor slowly increases in size, the pituitary gland is compressed, resulting in endocrine dysfunction and insufficient secretion of growth hormone, which leads to slow growth and developmental delay; the tumor compresses the optic nerve and optic nerve crossings, which leads to decreased visual acuity and visual field loss; the tumor protrudes into the third ventricle and obstructs the interventricular foramen, which leads to increased intracranial pressure. Surgical resection is the main treatment method, which can relieve the symptoms to some extent. It is recommended that pediatric patients with craniopharyngiosis should seek timely medical treatment and choose the appropriate treatment plan under the guidance of doctors according to their conditions.