Diabetes insipidus and adipsic hypernatremia in a patient with a craniopharyngioma

A fourteen-year male patient presented a retrochiasmatic craniopharyngioma. Aer transcranial surgical resection, the patient had diabetes insipidus, which presented an interphase with manifestations of inadequate secretion of ADH. The patient was adequately treated with intranasal desmopresin, but aer i.v. fluid replacement was withdrawn, severe dehydration occurred. This was attributed to loss of the thirst reflex, due to surgical lesion of the lamina terminalis, where the osmoreceptor neurons are located. This case underscores the complications with body fluids and osmolality which may occur after surgery of hypothalamic lesions; i.e. diabetes insipidus (which may have a triphasic course), and adipsia, an infrequent complication due to absence of thirst.