309
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Case Study

A case study of the neuropsychological outcomes following microsurgery, conventional radiotherapy and stereotactic radiotherapy for an adult’s recurrent craniopharyngioma

, &
Pages 104-111 | Received 22 Sep 2014, Accepted 10 Sep 2015, Published online: 06 Jan 2016
 

Abstract

Objective: To examine the neuropsychological outcomes for an adult patient, 2 years after receiving microsurgery and conventional radiotherapy for a recurrent craniopharyngioma; and the impact of a further intervention, stereotactic radiotherapy, on this level of neuropsychological functioning.

Participant: JD, a 30 year old male whose recurrent craniopharyngioma had 2 years earlier been treated with two operations and conventional radiotherapy.

Design: JD was assessed (using standardized clinical tests) before and after a course of stereotactic radiotherapy.

Results: Prior to stereotactic radiotherapy (and 2 years after microsurgery and conventional radiotherapy) JD’s IQ was intact, but considerable impairments were present in executive functioning, memory, theory of mind and processing speed. Fifteen months after stereotactic radiotherapy, all neuropsychological domains remained largely static or improved, supporting the utility of this treatment option in the neuropsychological domain. However, deficits in executive functioning, memory and processing speed remained.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that, even after multiple treatments, substantial cognitive impairments can be present in an adult patient with a recurrent craniopharyngioma. This profile of deficits underlines the inadequacy of relying purely on IQ as a marker for cognitive health in this population and emphasizes the need to include neuropsychological impairments as a focus of rehabilitation with these patients.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank JD and his family for their time and effort. We also gratefully acknowledge Dr. Frans Hugo, Dr. Sharon Truter and Mr. Peter Clissa for their valuable feedback on earlier drafts of this paper. Ethics approval for this project was granted by the Edith Cowan University Human Research Ethics Committee. The requirements of this committee were adhered to.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.