title: Computed tomography-guided stereotactic biopsy of intracranial lesions in pediatric patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The primary objective of this study was to report the results of author's 18-year experience of diagnostic stereotactic biopsy procedures in children with intracranial lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis was conducted on stereotactic procedures performed on children with brain tumor between 1989 and 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stereotactic biopsy of intracranial tumors was performed in 172 children (69 girls, and 103 boys) with the mean age of 9.17 ± 3.66 years at the time of diagnosis. The most frequent anatomical location of lesions was brainstem (45.9%). Glioma was the most common diagnosis, represented in 90.7% of patients (156 patients). Other diagnosed tumors (4.7%) were classified as metastatic (1.7%), lymphomas (1.2%), oligodendroglioma (0.6%), craniopharyngioma (0.6%), and pineocytoma (0.6%). Nonneoplastic lesions were revealed in 4.7% of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most frequent brain pathology of children is glioma, but the incidence of brain lesions other than gliomas and the frequency of brain lesions in the inoperable areas are compelling reasons to establish tissue diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Imam Reza Medical Center, Golgasht Street, Tabriz, Eastern Azerbaijan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meshkini
authors.forename: Sohrab
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shahzadi
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zali
authors.forename: Khosro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Parsa
authors.forename: Aimaz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Afrough
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hamdi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*