Haematological, neurological and psychiatric complications of chronic hypothermia following surgery for craniopharyngioma.

A patient is described who became poikilothermic following surgery for removal of a craniopharyngioma. Episodes of disturbed behaviour, neurological abnormalities, pancytopenia and deranged liver function could be correlated with episodes of more profound hypothermia on a background of a chronically lowered core temperature. The association of pancytopenia and neuropsychiatric disturbances with hypothermia is discussed with reference to reported cases of periodic spontaneous hypothermia.