Intracystic radiotherapy (90Y) of craniopharyngiomas: CT-guided stereotaxic implantation of indwelling drainage system.

An indwelling drainage system for percutaneous drainage and radiotherapy of cystic craniopharyngiomas is described. The catheter is implanted into the cyst stereotaxically with a computed tomography-guided targeting device and connected to a Rickham reservoir. In addition to the repeated percutaneous evacuation of the cysts, this closed system enables intracavitary radiotherapy (yttrium-90) without the risk of leakage of the radioactive material into the cerebrospinal fluid spaces. The technique and relevant literature are discussed, and three typical cases are described.