Management of extra sellar craniopharyngioma masquerading as hypertrophied adenoid tissue in a 6-year-old boy

Described here is a rare case of a craniopharyngioma of the nasopharynx and the sphenoid sinus and its surgical resection via an endoscopic, transnasal, transphenoidal approach. The study design is case report. Craniopharyngiomas are histologically benign, extra-axial slow growing tumours of the sellar and the supra sellar space. Patients usually present with symptoms of neurologic, ophthalmologic or endocrine dysfunction. Possibility of the occurrence of such rare tumours needs to be always kept in mind while dealing with nasopharyngeal masses. The endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal approach has been found to be associated with very low morbidity in experienced hands. Long term follow up of these patients is mandatory, because of the tendency of craniopharyngioma's to recur. Here, the patient was a 10-year-old boy, who had none of the above symptoms and was operated upon previously for the same complaints, with no relief in symptoms.