Craniopharyngioma: identification of different semiological patterns by magnetic resonance

To study craniopharyngiomas using different MR sequences to detect semiological patterns that aid in the characterization of the different components. We performed a retrospective MR study of 17 patients with confirmed craniopharyngioma. T1-weighted spin-echo, proton density-weighted, T2-weighted gradient-echo, T1-weighted (after administration of gadolinium), T1-weighted inversion recovery and phase and opposed-phase gradient echo sequences were employed to distinguish the different patterns. The semiologic patterns considered in MR were: solid-tissue, blood, protein, fat and fluid. A solid pole was detected in all the patients. There was a cystic component in 88.2% of cases; the protein pattern was observed in 52.9%, blood in 29.4%, fluid in 23.5% and fat in 11.7%. The coexistence of three patterns was detected in 29.4% and of two patterns in 58.8%. The calcium pattern was viewed in 75% of the patients studied with CT, with four patterns coexisting in 25%, three patterns in 41.6% and two patterns in 25%. MR detects different semiologic components in craniopharyngiomas, although it is necessary to employ certain unusual sequences in order to distinguish some patterns from others. (Author) 22 refs