Delayed visual loss from optochiasmatic arachnoiditis after resection of craniopharyngioma

Visual loss following surgery for craniopharyngioma is usually the result of operative injury or tumor recurrence. The authors present the case of a 12-year-old boy who developed progressive visual field constriction 11 years after gross-total resection of a solid and cystic craniopharyngioma. No tumor recurrence was evident on multiple MRI studies, and it was only at surgical exploration that the diagnosis of optochiasmatic arachnoiditis was established. Lysis of the adhesions around the optic nerves and chiasm resulted in substantial and sustained visual improvement.