ArticleChild's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery2025
Limitations of MRI in differentiating solid and cystic components of craniopharyngiomas.
Article in Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeCraniopharyngiomas (CP) present with both solid and cystic structures in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Contrary to MRI appearance, components described as cysts are not infrequently found as non-fluent structures during surgery. This study aims to address the discrepancy between radiology and surgery regarding the nature of these lesions and to evaluate them for their preoperative predictability. MATERIALS AND
methodsPreoperative MRI images of 24 CP patients were analyzed. The cystic components of the tumors were assessed in terms of quantitative and qualitative signal properties and contrast enhancement on conventional pulse sequences, and analyzed based on their macroscopic appearances.
resultsThirteen of 31 lesions (42%) that suggested cyst on MRI were solid during surgery, with none showing contrast uptake. MRI demonstrated 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV), 71.7% specificity, and 58% positive predictive value (PPV) in identifying true cysts. Most lesions resembling cysts were hyperintense on FLAIR and T1WI and isointense on ADC maps, suggesting high protein content. However, surgically confirmed fluid-filled cysts exhibited similar signal characteristics in a comparable proportion. The only significant imaging indicator was a hypointense appearance on T2WI, with a mean intensity ratio close to that of the basal ganglia.
conclusionAccurate identification of solid and cystic components in craniopharyngiomas is critical for effective treatment planning. Although MRI is traditionally considered reliable for this purpose, 42% of lesions that appeared cystic without contrast enhancement were ultimately confirmed as non-fluid or solid during surgery. This study was unable to establish definitive MRI characteristics to reliably differentiate between cystic and solid components. Further research with larger cohorts is warranted to validate potential imaging markers and improve diagnostic accuracy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
40956448What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.