Craniopharyngiomas are rare cerebral tumors associated with severe obesity after hypothalamic surgery. A meta-analysis showed significant weight loss at 1 year after bariatric surgery in these patients even though more modest than in common causes of obesity. We hypothesized that this discrepancy could be partly explained by differences in GLP-1 secretion after surgery since patients with craniopharyngioma present a significantly higher degree of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinism than common obese control. We report three cases of bariatric surgery in patients presenting with hypothalamique obesity related to craniopharyngiomas. At 18 months, the mean weight loss was 20 kg with expected insulin resistance decrease. Before surgery, standardized test meal shows abolition of postprandial GLP-1 secretion in all patients with a progressive restoration in the patients with gastric bypass (GBP) surgery.
Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Craniopharyngioma; GLP-1; Gastric bypass; Obesity; Sleeve gastrectomy.