Programmed serial CT scans in the surgical and radio-chemotherapeutic management of cerebral gliomas.
On the basis of a 4 year experience with CT scan in cerebral gliomas and of previous personal contributions in this field, a neuroradiological protocol of these patients is proposed. The protocol consists of a complete preoperative neuroradiological evaluation and of CT assessments at the end of the surgical procedure, before initiating radio-chemotherapy, and at the completion of each of its cycles, respectively. Attention is drawn to the importance of contrast enhancement, to the role played by the changes in the blood-brain barrier (BBB), either due to surgery or to the effect of radio-chemotherapy and to the identification of residual tumor or of recurrences. CT scan to be performed at the end of the operation is proposed on the assumption that, in spite of the increased possibility of artifacts due to blood, air, etc., it may provide an immediate and better evaluation of the surgical results as compared to the CT picture at the beginning of radio-chemotherapy, when changes in the patient's brain may already have occurred.
D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D005910:Glioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*