Novel predictive scoring system for morbid hypothalamic obesity in patients with pediatric craniopharyngioma

Purpose: To identify the independent risk factors for developing morbid hypothalamic obesity, to propose a predictive scoring system for morbid hypothalamic obesity, and to propose an algorithm for management in order to minimize the risk of developing morbid hypothalamic obesity in patients with pediatric craniopharyngioma. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all pediatric craniopharyngioma patients diagnosed and treated at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) between 1985 and 2017. Analysis of the data was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics. Results: We identified 105 patients, 90 (47 males and 43 females) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The median age of patients at time of diagnosis was 8.4 years. The median follow-up was 10.6 years. Morbid hypothalamic obesity was evident in 28 (31.1%) patients at the last follow-up visit. Age of patients at time of diagnosis > 10 years (P = 0.023), preoperative body mass index (BMI) > 95th percentile (P = 0.006), and preoperative papilledema (P < 0.001) were the independent risk factors for developing morbid hypothalamic obesity. Conclusion: We developed a unique predictive scoring system in order to differentiate between patients with and without high risk for developing morbid hypothalamic obesity.