Craniopharyngioma

Craniopharyngioma is a tumor that develops near a small endocrine gland known as the pituitary gland which is located at the base of the brain. This is a benign type of tumor that commonly affects children between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. It can however develop in older individuals as well.This disease does not affect one sex more than another.
Craniopharyngiomas will affect the body most commonly in these three ways. It causes an increased pressure on the brain (intracranial pressure). It will also disturb the function of the pituitary gland, and it will cause damage to the optic nerve. With the increase of brain pressure patients can expect to experience nausea, vomiting (most commonly in the morning), headaches, and problems with balance. Disturbances in the function of the pituitary gland can cause hormone imbalances which can lead to diabetes insipidus. This presents itself by excessive thirst and urination. Pituitary gland problems can also lead to stunted growth. If the optic nerve is disturbed it will cause vision problems. At the time of diagnosis it is very common for patients to have some form of vision disturbances and a drop in hormone production. Disturbances in vision may be permanent and may worsen if surgery is performed to remove the tumor.
Diagnosis of this type of tumor can be obtained by using a CT or MRI scan of the brain. In the past the treatment for these tumors has been to have them surgically removed. In some patients this may not be the best choice. In these cases radiation treatment will be utilized. In the cases where surgery could not completely remove the tumor radiation therapy will be required.
I n most cases if the tumor can be completely removed or if high doses of radiation are given the prognosis is very good with most patients having an 80-90% chance for a complete cure. The prognosis will vary on a patient by patient basis depending on the severity of their individual symptoms. In most cases the vision problems and hormonal imbalances will not be resolved with the treatment and can become worse because of the treatment.
Some complications associated with the treatment of craniopharyngioma are that a very large percentage of patients will have continuing visual, hormonal and neurological problems. In the cases where the tumor couldn’t be completely removed it is common for the tumor to return.

The image I chose is of a gadolinium enhanced T-1 weighted MRI image of a craniopharyngioma in a 23 year old female.

My information was obtained from

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000345.htm

my picture was obtained from

www.emedicine.com/radio/topic196.htm

Glomus Tympanicum Tumor

Glomeus Tympanicum Tumors are tumors that grow in the portion of the ear known as the middle ear. These type tumors are often called neoplasms. Glomerus Tympancium tumors are the most common type of neoplasm found in the middle ear. Symptoms of this type of tumor include hearing a pulsing sound which is known as pulsatile tinnitus. This results from the sound the blood makes as it moves through the vessels of the tumors. The most severe symptom is that of conductive hearing loss which is caused by the tumor blocking the sound through the middle ear. Some of the other symptoms can include ear pain, and bleeding.
The diagnosis process is based on the patients’ symptoms. It is customary for a physical examination to be done first. It is in this examination that a bluish mass is found behind the ear drum. Following this a hearing test and a CT exam are performed. The CT is done to assess the location of the tumor in relation to other structures in the ear. The CT is also used to determine the size of the tumor. The CT scan will also show if there are small erosions in the bones.
Most often these tumors are treated by surgically removing them. The surgeon will remove them by making a small incision in the ear canal to remove the smaller tumors but if the tumor is larger it will be removed by making an incision behind the ear. Although these surgeries are done while the patient is under general anesthesia they are usually done as a same day surgery. If the entire tumor is successfully removed the chance of recurrence is very low.

My information came from

www.chicagoear.com/med_info/glomus_tympanicum.htm

My picture came from

www.emedicine.com/RADIO/topic309.htm

Arachnoid Cysts

Arachnoid Cysts


Arachoid cysts develop in the areas that separates the brain and spinal cord from the arachnoid membrane. These cysts consist of sacs filled with cerebrospinal fluid and are categorized as primary and secondary. Primary cysts result from developmental abnormalities of the spinal cord and brain and develop in the early weeks of a baby’s development in the womb. Secondary cysts occur as a result of injury, tumors or meningitis. These are not as common as primary cysts. There is a third type of cyst that forms around the spinal cord. Arachnoid cysts form in the middle crania fossa, which is an area located outside the temporal lobe of the brain.

Symptoms of arachnoid cysts depend largely on the size of the cyst. The size will also determine the onset of these symptoms. In most cases symptoms begin within a child’s first year or before 20 years of age. There are individuals who do not develop symptoms at all. There are a wide range of symptoms that occur with arachnoid cysts. They range from the usual such as nausea and vomiting, dizziness, headache, seizures, to problems with hearing and vision. These symptoms are associated with cysts around the brain and can also include vertigo which can cause problems with balance and walking. Individuals with cysts around the spinal cord can develop symptoms that can include numbness, tingling in the arms and legs and increasing back and leg pain.

Diagnosis of arachnoid cysts can be made using an MRI brain scan that is diffusion weighted (also known as a T-2 weighted image.) This helps enhance the arachnoid cysts that are filled with fluid and helps the radiologists to identify if it is another type of cyst. On an MRI image these cysts will appear as a white spot and on a CT the cyst will appear as a dark spot in the brain.
Treatments for these cysts include placing shunts to allow the fluid to drain from the cysts. Advances in neurosurgical techniques and endoscopic tools are giving surgeons the ability to do more non invasive surgical procedures to either remove the cyst or to open the cyst and let the fluid drain into the cerebrospinal fluid, it then can be absorbed by the body. If left untreated these cysts can cause severe and permanent damage to the brain and spinal cord. With treatment symptoms will usually improve or even be completely relieved.



The first image is a T-2 weighted MRI image of an Arachnoid Cyst in a 28 year old female. The second image is an unenhanced CT image showing a large cyst in the left frontoparietal area of a 26 year old male patient.

My information came from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders website

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/

The pictures came from the emedicine website.

http://www.emedicine.com

Introduction

Hey Everyone,

I will be posting on this site for my Radt. 413 class. The class is a CT/MRI procedures class and I will be posting pictures and information about the different pathologies we discuss in class. This is my first time using a blog site so I hope to learn a lot about blogging.