The frequency and extent of mammillary body atrophy associated with surgical removal of a colloid cyst.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients who have had a colloid cyst removed from the third ventricle sometimes experience some difficulty with day-to-day memory. This study provided quantitative MR imaging volume measures of 1 structure potentially responsible for mnemonic problems, the mammillary bodies. Additional volume estimates in structures connected to the mammillary bodies sought to determine the specificity of any atrophy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Volume estimates of the mammillary bodies were performed on 38 patients after surgical removal of colloid cysts and 20 control subjects by the application of stereologic volume-estimation techniques. For the mammillary body measures, 2 groups of MR images were assessed (0.8- and 1.0-mm section thickness) to compare the sensitivity of each imaging sequence for detecting any atrophy. Other structures associated with memory processes, such as the hippocampus and fornix, were also assessed quantitatively to determine whether there was a correlation between mammillary body damage and atrophy in connecting structures.

RESULTS: Our investigations established the superiority of 0.8-mm-volume scans over standard isotropic 1.0-mm-thick-volume scans for mammillary body assessments. Comparisons with 20 age-matched controls revealed that patients with colloid cysts frequently showed significant mammillary body atrophy (mean volume of colloid cysts, 0.037 cm(3) right and 0.038 cm(3) left; control subjects, 0.069 cm(3) right and 0.067 cm(3) left). In fact, every patient had a mammillary body volume below the control mean, and the majority of patients had a volume decrease of >1 SD (82% right, 74% left). Mammillary body volumes correlated with fornix volumes in the same patient group.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal the frequent presence of mammillary body atrophy in patients with surgical removal of colloid cysts and indicate that this atrophy is partly due to a loss of temporal lobe projections in the fornix.