A neoplasm that develops in the hypothalamus is called a hamartoma in medical language. This is a benign tumor that is extremely rare. Treatment of hypothalamic hamartoma is carried out mainly in large foreign clinics, but not in every country. To date, effective methods of surgical intervention have already been developed in Russia, but in order to start using them in practice, specialized equipment is needed. In addition, they must be carried out by highly qualified doctors, and patients in the postoperative period must be provided with special care. Below are the causes of a tumor of the hypothalamus, symptoms, treatment and prognosis.
The meaning of this part of the brain
The main task of the hypothalamus is to coordinate neuroendocrine processes in the body. If it fails, itwill disrupt the functioning of all systems.
The hypothalamus is located at the bottom of the brain. Despite its small size (no bigger than an almond), its structure is extremely complex. It consists of nuclei and several regions. The latter can penetrate into neighboring parts of the brain, which makes the boundaries of the hypothalamus blurred. Each core is responsible for its own unique function.
The hypothalamus maintains the constancy of the internal environment, and also regulates the work of all organs and systems when exposed to external stimuli. The functioning of this area directly depends on what behavior is formed in a person in a given situation, how strong his ability to survive in adverse conditions, whether he can produce offspring.
Disturbances in the work of this vital department lead to the appearance of various pathologies. If inappropriate behavior occurs (this is the first symptom of a tumor of the hypothalamus and its other diseases), you should contact a competent specialist.
Causes of hamartoma
As a rule, a benign neoplasm is discovered by chance during an X-ray examination. The risk group includes people from 30 to 40 years old, while in women the pathology is detected much less frequently than in men.
The main causes of hypothalamic hamartoma are:
- Disorders of intrauterine development of tissues and organs. In this case, symptoms of a hypothalamic tumor appear shortly after birth.
- An inflammatory process that results in the formation and growth of replacement tissue.
- Head injuries.
- Infectious diseases, the consequence of which is a significant weakening of the body's defenses.
- Hereditary predisposition to the development of a benign neoplasm.
- Gene mutations that should not occur during normal life.
- Unfavorable environmental conditions: tobacco smoke, ultraviolet radiation, exposure to radioactive substances, etc.
Each of the above factors significantly increases the risk of a hypothalamic tumor.
Symptoms
In some cases, the pathology can proceed without any signs. For some, they can appear immediately and have a pronounced severity, less often - they occur after a long time. It depends on the severity of the disease and the individual characteristics of the organism.
The main symptoms of a hypothalamic tumor are:
- Epileptic fits of laughter. This symptom is most pronounced in children and is found in every third child.
- Muscle cramps.
- Absence seizures. Below in the photo is a symptom of a tumor of the hypothalamus in women and men, characterized by a sudden and short-term loss of consciousness.
- Cognitive impairment. As a rule, these disorders are manifested by changes in behavior, memory lapses, inattention, restlessness. Besides, sick badamenable to any training. In both adult women and men, the symptom of a hypothalamic tumor is not as pronounced as in children.
- Psycho-emotional disorders (depression, uncontrolled attacks of aggression, etc.).
- Signs of diseases of the endocrine system.
Any of the above symptoms of a tumor of the hypothalamus in both women and men is an alarm signal indicating the need for various diagnostic measures.
Signs of disease in children
The greatest responsibility for identifying violations lies with the parents, since the course of the pathological process provokes a delay in mental and physical development, which threatens not only with negative consequences for he alth, but also with the destruction of social ties.
The main symptoms of a hypothalamic tumor in children are:
- Too early puberty, signs of which can appear as early as two years of age: the beginning of hair growth in the groin and armpits, the rapid development of the mammary glands in girls and the scrotum in boys. This sign of a hypothalamic tumor may be the only symptom of the disease.
- Lack of self-control, restlessness, poor perception of educational material, memory impairment, inattention.
- Psycho-emotional disorders. The child may develop: attention deficit disorder, autism, depression, mood swings, aggression.
- Epileptic seizures, a prominent featurewhich is considered uncontrollable laughter, which is a harbinger of the next attack. They may appear several times a day.
- Convulsions, during which it is impossible to make any movements, and also a sense of self-control is lost. After the attack ends, everything that happened during it is forgotten.
When a tumor of the hypothalamus in children can manifest only one of the above signs. Each of them can have a different degree of severity.
Diagnosis
When alarming symptoms appear, you should immediately contact a neurologist. During the examination, he assesses the general condition, checks the reflexes and the functioning of the vestibular apparatus, and also determines the degree of sensitivity of the skin. He then refers the patient for an examination.
The most significant method for diagnosing hamartoma is MRI. Additionally, a CT scan may be performed. This is necessary in order to definitely exclude cancer. In both women and men, the symptoms of a malignant tumor of the hypothalamus are similar to those of a hamartoma. It is worth noting that a neoplasm degenerates into cancer only in isolated cases.
Besides this, a thorough diagnosis is necessary in order to rule out a tumor of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in both men and women. Symptoms are similar to hamartoma, and this situation occurs much more often, due to the close relationship of these departments. As a rule, a pituitary tumor is also benign.
Patients suffering from epilepsy are additionally prescribed electroencephalography, from cognitive impairment - neuropsychological testing.
Laboratory diagnostic methods are ineffective in relation to adults. Tests for growth hormones are prescribed only for children to confirm or rule out early puberty.
Conservative treatment
Medication and constant medical supervision are effective only if the hypothalamic hamartoma is small and the clinical manifestations are mild or absent.
With the help of drugs, you can stop the process of early puberty and restore normal hormonal levels. If the patient suffers from epileptic seizures, medications will only bring relief for a short time, but will not get rid of the disease itself, since it has a different nature of occurrence.
Surgical treatment is indicated for severe symptoms, regardless of the size of the tumor.
Radiosurgical method
The operation is performed using MRI equipment. To date, this method is the most effective. It is minimally invasive, painless and requires no preparation.
The radiosurgical method of intervention is carried out as follows: a beam is directed at the patient's head, which begins to constantly change its position. This process is controlled by MRI equipment. This is necessary for the tumor tothe right dose of radiation, and the surrounding tissues were not affected.
The effect after treatment does not occur immediately, it will take several months. As a result, the volume of the hamartoma decreases by 80-90%, and it ceases to compress the hypothalamus. Due to this, attacks disappear or disturb very rarely, the psychoemotional state normalizes, cognitive disorders recede.
Craniotomy
Today, such an operation is performed only in rare cases, when access to the tumor is as difficult as possible. The method is extremely complex. After opening the skull, the tumor is excised. In addition, the risk of all kinds of complications (including death) is very high.
Stereotactic thermal ablation
This method involves heating the hamartoma to 60 degrees. Due to this, her ability to provoke convulsions disappears.
If the therapy was carried out in a timely manner, the result comes instantly. The process uses MR thermography, which is a guarantee of safety for he althy tissues, that is, only the tumor is heated.
Endoscopic method
It involves inserting a small catheter into the skull. Through the tube, the surgeon inserts the endoscope into the third ventricle and resects the hamartoma.
This is an innovative surgical technique that is used for patients with a small tumor size. At the same time, the likelihood of serious complications is much less than with craniotomy.
Prevention
In most cases, a tumor of the hypothalamus is the result of disorders occurring during fetal development.
To reduce the risks of their appearance, the expectant mother should follow the following recommendations:
- Avoid getting into stressful situations.
- Do not take medication without doctor's permission.
- Treat detected infectious diseases in a timely manner.
After a baby is born, the risk of head injury must be minimized. If any diseases are detected, it is necessary to contact a pediatrician and treat them in a timely manner.
In conclusion
Hamartoma of the hypothalamus is a benign tumor that is extremely rare. As a rule, this is a congenital pathology, the signs of which can appear at an early age. Laboratory diagnostic methods are informative only for children, adults are prescribed MRI and CT. Conservative treatment brings results only in the absence of severe symptoms and a small tumor size. In other cases, surgical intervention is indicated. It can be done in several ways, the effectiveness of which is quite high.
