Craniopharyngioma Health Dictionary

A rare, non-hormone-secreting tumour of the pituitary gland. Symptoms of a craniopharyngioma may include headaches, vomiting, and defective vision. If a craniopharyngioma develops in childhood, growth may become stunted and sexual development may not occur. Craniopharyngiomas are usually removed surgically. Untreated, they may cause permanent brain damage. craniosynostosis The premature closure of one or more of the joints (sutures) between the curved, flattened bones of the skull in infants. If all the joints are involved, the growing infant’s brain may be compressed and there is a risk of brain damage from pressure inside the skull. If the abnormality is localized, the head may be deformed. Craniosynostosis may occur before birth and, in some cases, is associated with other birth defects. It may also occur in an otherwise healthy baby, or in a baby affected by a disorder such as rickets. If the brain is compressed, an operation may be performed to separate the fused skull bones.

n. a brain tumour, situated above the *sella turcica, that is derived from remnants of Rathke’s pouch, the earliest detectable embryonic precursor of the pituitary gland. The patient may show raised intracranial pressure and *diabetes insipidus due to reduced secretion of the hormone *vasopressin. An X-ray of the skull typically shows calcification within the tumour and loss of the normal skull structure around the pituitary gland.