A case report: a noninfantile desmoplastic astrocytoma.
INTRODUCTION AND CASE DESCRIPTION: Desmoplastic infantile astrocytomas (DIA) are rare intracranial tumors of infancy with distinctive clinical and radiological features. Despite their radiologically aggressive appearance they tend to follow a benign course with favorable prognosis even after subtotal resections. Non-infantile cases are rarely encountered with only four cases reported before. The authors present a non-infantile DIA in a 4 years old female patient and discuss the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment of this rare entity.


CONCLUSIONS
Although accepted as a tumor of infancy, DIA can also be encountered in older patients. Careful diagnosis and differentiation of DIA cases with other tumors, particularly malignant astrocytomas is important since the therapeutic strategies may differ.
Ulu
Mustafa Onur
MO
Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
Tanriöver
Necmettin
N
Biçeroğlu
Hüseyin
H
Oz
Buge
B
Canbaz
Bülent
B
D000367:Age Factors; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011379:Prognosis