title: Clinical and neuroradiologic findings in infants with intracranial ependymomas. Pediatric Oncology Group.
abstract: Typical clinical characteristics, neuroradiologic findings, and initial neuroradiologic studies were reviewed for 40 patients <3 years of age with intracranial ependymomas, who were treated in the Pediatric Oncology Group (prolonged postoperative chemotherapy and delayed radiation for children <3 years of age with malignant brain tumors). The study included 16 females and 24 males, aged 3 to 35 months, who were diagnosed and registered in the study between 1986 and 1990. Commonly, patients presented with vomiting (70%), ataxia (53%), headache (28%), lethargy (28%), increased head circumference (23%), and irritability (23%). Duration of symptoms before diagnosis ranged from 1 day to 11 months. Thirty-five tumors (88%) were infratentorial; average tumor size was 4.3 (+/-1.4) x 4.2 (+/-1.7) x 4.1 (+/-1.8) cm at presentation. Noncontrast CT scans were performed on 23 patients; 13 (57%) were isodense to surrounding brain tissue and 13 (57%) were calcified. Contrast CT scans of 29 patients revealed that 28 (97%) were enhanced. Of the 15 T1-weighted MRI scans, 10 (67%) demonstrated low-signal intensity tumors, and 15 (94%) of the 16 T2-weighted scans revealed high-signal tumors. Forty-three percent of the tumors were cystic. Blood was observed within only 2 tumors and peritumoral edema was uncommon. Twenty-five percent of the ependymomas extended out to involve the dura, and 97% of the infratentorial tumors showed characteristic plasticity. Hydrocephalus was present in 34 (85%) children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, State University of New York at Buffalo; School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, USA.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Comi
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Backstrom
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Duffner
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed