title: Cerebral hemispheric low-grade glial tumors in children: preoperative anatomic assessment with MRI and DTI.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study are to analyze how the nature and the behavior of low-grade glial tumors (LGGT) in children may correlate with the anatomy of the cerebral hemispheres and to evaluate the consequent impact of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques in the presurgical assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a combined review of a series of 155 cases of LGGT and of the recent literature on the subject.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cases retrieved from our data bank were divided in central hemispheric tumors (basal ganglia and thalami) (36 cases), glioneuronal cortical-based tumors (49 cases), and glial tumors of the cerebral mantle (70 cases). A close correlation was found in the thalamus between the primary location of the tumor (juxta-ventricular, inferior, lateral, bilateral) and its extension (ventricular lumen, midbrain and mesial temporal, globus pallidus, respectively) which may relate to the connectivity. Among the glioneuronal tumors, most gangliogliomas were located in the temporal lobe and especially in the mesial temporal structures. In addition, the morphologic feature of the ganglioglioma was different there from the neocortical areas. As a complementary approach, DTI data may assist in evaluating the structure and the extension of the LGGT, in addition to planning the surgical strategy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the cerebral hemispheres like in the rest of the central nervous system, there is some degree of correlation between the anatomy and the nature, appearance, and behavior of the LGGT in children.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuroradiology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G1X8, Canada. charles.raybaud@sickkids.ca.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Raybaud
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D005910:Glioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male
keywords: Anatomy; Brain imaging; DTI; Glioneuronal tumors; Low-grade glioma; Pilocytic astrocytoma; Thalamic tumors