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Introduction

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Midline Skull Base Surgery

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Abstract

Craniopharyngiomas are rare epithelial tumors arising along the path of the craniopharyngeal duct, and as a consequence, they can be found from rhinopharynx to hypothalamus [6, 30, 31]. They develop in a deep-seated area of the brain, involving in many cases several vital structures, such as the hypothalamus, that are of paramount importance for vegetative, endocrine, and emotional functions as well as for maintaining body homeostasis. As a matter of fact, the functional impairment and anatomical distortion of the hypothalamus that may be caused by such kind of tumor have to be considered as critical factors influencing patient outcome.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Naples, Italy

    Paolo Cappabianca MD

  2. Anatomopathology Unit, Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy

    Marialaura Del Basso De Caro BS

  3. Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Naples, Italy

    Arturo Brunetti MD

Authors
  1. Paolo Cappabianca MD
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  2. Marialaura Del Basso De Caro BS
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  3. Arturo Brunetti MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paolo Cappabianca MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Naples “Federico II” , Naples, Italy

    Paolo Cappabianca

  2. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Naples “Federico II” , Naples, Italy

    Luigi Maria Cavallo

  3. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Naples “Federico II” , Naples, Italy

    Oreste de Divitiis

  4. Div. of Neurosurgery Dept. of Neuroscien, University of Messina , Messina, Messina, Italy

    Felice Esposito

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Cappabianca, P., De Caro, M.D., Brunetti, A. (2016). Introduction. In: Cappabianca, P., Cavallo, L., de Divitiis, O., Esposito, F. (eds) Midline Skull Base Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21533-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21533-4_5

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