Hypothalamic Involvement Predicts Cognitive Performance and Psychosocial Health in Long-term Survivors of Childhood Craniopharyngioma

Context: Hypothalamic damage caused by craniopharyngioma (CP) is associated with poor functional outcome. Objective: To assess cognitive function and quality of life in childhood-onset CP on hormonal replacement, including GH treatment. Design: A cross-sectional study with a median follow-up time of 20 years (1–40). Setting: Patients were recruited from the South Medical Region of Sweden. Participants: The study included 42 patients (20 women) surgically treated for a childhood-onset CP between 1958 and 2000. Patients were aged ≥17 years. Equally many controls, matched for age, sex, residence, and smoking habits, were included. Tumor growth into the third ventricle was found in 25 patients. Main Outcome Measures: All subjects were examined with a battery of cognitive tests and the following questionnaires: Symptom Checklist-90, the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction, and the Social Network concept. Results: The CP patients had lower cognitive performance, reaching statistical significance in 12 of ...