title: Spontaneous hemorrhages in pediatric supratentorial pilocytic astrocytomas. Malignant presentation of a benign entity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hemorrhage as a presenting feature in pilocytic astrocytoma is an extremely rare phenomenon. When seen in children, most of such tumors exist in the cerebellum. Rarely, a supratentorial pilocytic astrocytoma can present with bleeding.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We present similar two cases and discuss the pathophysiology of such hemorrhage and histopathological changes in thinned hyalinised vessels of this tumor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presence of calcifications in the peri-hemorrhagic areas and the presence of mass effect disproportionate to the size of the bleeding are harbingers of the presence of a benign neoplasm that may have bled.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, PGIMER Chandigarh, Flat no. E-33 GHS - 94 sector 20, Panchkula, Haryana, 134116, India, dr.ankurkapoor@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ankur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kapoor
authors.forename: Amey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Savardekar
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Tewari
authors.forename: Debjyoti
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Radotra
mesh_terms: D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000150:complications*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed