ENDOCRINOLOGY - II
Therapy 

The Quarterly Journal of Nuclear Medicine 1999 December;43(4):367-74

Copyright © 2000 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Intracavitary therapy of craniopharyngiomas

Shapiro B.*, Fig L. M.**, Gross M. D.* **

From the *Division of Nuclear Medicine Department of Internal Medicine University of Michigan Health System Ann Arbor, MI, USA and **Nuclear Medicine Service Department of Veterans Affairs Health System Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Craniopharyngiomas are ­benign cys­tic ­para-hypo­phy­seal ­tumors ­often asso­ciat­ed ­with hypo­pi­tui­tar­ism and vis­u­al-­field abnor­mal­ities. Their ther­a­py by sur­gery and exter­nal ­beam radio­ther­a­py is imper­fect. The intra­cavi-­tary instil­la­tion of ­beta-emit­ting col­loid radio­phar­ma­ceu­ti­cals ­into the ­cysts per­mits the deliv­ery of far high­er radi­a­tion dos­es to the ­cyst lin­ing ­than is pos­sible by exter­nal ­beam radio­ther­a­py. This tech­nique per­mits destruc­tion of the lin­ing epi­the­li­um ­with resul­tant elimi­-na­tion of ­cyst ­fluid for­ma­tion and ­cyst shrink­age in up to 80% of cas­es.