Ossified adamantinous type craniopharyngiomas. A series of 13 patients.

Thirteen patients admitted to hospital mainly with visual disturbances (100%), retarded growth (39%) and diabetes insipidus (23%) were all diagnosed as ossified adamantinous craniopharyngioma. Tumour size was found to be large in all patients. Localization displayed a heterogenous dissemination; 8% intra-suprasellar, 69% suprasellar-extraventricular, 15% extra-intraventricular, and 8% in the suprasellar region extending bilaterally to the frontal and temporal lobes. During the early postoperative period, four patients died with hypothalamic deterioration. Three patients underwent a second operation in view of recurrence, and one died from an infection. Thus, the postoperative survival rate was 62%. All the patients who survived continued to have visual disturbances, but only one deteriorated