title: Brain tumors of infancy--an institutional experience and review of the literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brain tumors in infants are rare and form a distinct subgroup of pediatric brain tumors. These tumors differ from tumors in older children with respect to histology and management and tend to have a poorer outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed 31 consecutive cases of brain tumors in infancy managed in our institute in the last 15 years and reviewed the published literature since 1990.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 2 of these patients had congenital tumors. Choroid plexus tumors were the most common histological subtype, followed by medulloblastoma; 62% of patients underwent a gross total or near-total excision of the tumor with 1 perioperative mortality; 68% of patients had a good outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Choroid plexus tumors were the most common histological type. Safe resection should be the goal of surgery. Surgeries for tumors in this age group were associated with lower rates of total excision and higher morbidity. Low-grade lesions as expected are associated with longer survival; however, long-term outcomes are far from satisfactory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: Chandan B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Mohanty
authors.forename: Dhaval P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: B Indira
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Devi
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome