Radical resections of childhood craniopharyngiomas.

A series of 27 children with craniopharyngiomas is presented. All the craniopharyngiomas were detected by computed tomography, and radical total resection was attempted. Postoperative evaluations were done by a series of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans. Twenty patients who had total resection confirmed by surgical and radiographic observations showed no recurrence during the follow-up period of from 1 to 12 years. It is emphasized that total resection using modern diagnostic and surgical methods is the mainstay for childhood craniopharyngiomas.