Intrinsic Third Ventricular Papillary Craniopharyngioma: A Report of Five Cases and Literature Review

Nguyen Duy Hung,1,2,* Vuong Kim Ngan,3 Nguyen Minh Duc4,5,* 1Department of Radiology, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam; 2Department of Radiology, Viet Duc Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam; 3Department of Radiology, Vinmec Times City International Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam; 4Department of Radiology, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 5Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Nguyen Minh DucDepartment of Radiology, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamEmail bsnguyenminhduc@pnt.edu.vnBackground: Craniopharyngiomas are common lesions that occur in the suprasellar region; however, strictly intrinsic third ventricular craniopharyngiomas are rare.Case Series: We aimed to describe the magnetic resonance imaging features observed in five cases of strictly intrinsic third ventricular papillary craniopharyngiomas, including two cases of mixed cystic and solid tumors and three cases of pure solid masses.Conclusion: Among the adult population, intrinsic third ventricular papillary craniopharyngiomas should be considered when either solid or mixed cystic and solid masses are observed, in which the solid component shows heterogeneous intensity, heterogeneous and strong enhancement, and is strictly located in the third ventricle.Keywords: strictly intrinsic third ventricle, craniopharyngioma, magnetic resonance imaging