title: Optic nerve and chiasm gliomas in children.
abstract: In a 30 years period, 42 children were admitted for optic nerve and chiasm gliomas; 20 patients aged less than 5 years and 22 between 6 and 16 years. Duration of symptoms ranged from 13.15 months in children aged less than 5 years, to 10.18 months in patients aged more than 6. Onset of symptoms were characterized by visual impairment and/or proptosis in 73.8%, diencephalic disorders in 16.6% and intracranial hypertension in 9.5%. All patients underwent skull X-rays; 31 had a PEG taken and 12 a CT scan. Surgery was prompted in 27 patients, 2 of which died in postoperative course. Radiotherapy was the treatment of choice in the other 15 patients, 40 patients were followed up: the best results were obtained in the group of patients operated on and irradiated.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003390:Cranial Nerve Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D003399:Craniotomy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009897:Optic Chiasm / Q000601:surgery*; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014792:Visual Acuity