To analyze the clinic-pathological features and surgical outcomes of adult patients with hypothalamic gliomas.

The adult cases pathologically confirmed as hypothalamic gliomas were analyzed from October, 2011 to January, 2022 in Beijing Tiantan Hospital.

There were 32 adult cases with hypothalamic gliomas, including 16 males and 16 females. Tumor was located in the hypothalamus in 6 cases, in the hypothalamus plus optic chiasma/nerve in 6 cases, in the hypothalamus plus thalamus in 9 cases, and in the hypothalamus plus the third ventricle in 11 cases. Pre-operative hydrocephalus was found in 20 cases. Five patents underwent stereotactic biopsy, 27 patients underwent craniotomy, and 11 patients underwent shunt surgery for hydrocephalus. Of 27 patients with craniotomy, trans-callosal approach was chosen for 9 patients, trans-cortical for 8 patients, via pterion approach for 4 patients, via lateral sub-frontal approach for 4 patients, via fissurae interhemisphaerica for 1 patient, and trans-sphenoidal approach for 1 patient. Twenty-two patients received gross-total or subtotal resection, 5 patients received partial resection. All the patients were pathologically confirmed, including 9 patients with high-grade and 23 patients with low-grade gliomas. Six patients died within 3 months after craniotomy, 8 patients suffered from endocrine dysfunction, 7 patients suffered from electrolyte disturbance, and 5 patients suffered from hydrocephalus. They were followed for 0.7-110.0 months, with 5-year progression-free survival rate of 63.8% and 5-year overall survival rate of 53.9% for all patients. The 5-year progression-free survival rate was 83.3% and the 5-year overall survival rate was 72.8% for low-grade gliomas.

The peri-operative mortality is high for adult patients with hypothalamic gliomas, and protection of the hypothalamic function is important. Patients with low-grade hypothalamic gliomas have good prognoses.

Hypothalamic gliomas; Adult; Clinic-pathological; Surgery; Outcomes