All issues > Volume 30(2); 1987

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1987;30(2):191-200. Published online February 28, 1987.

Clinical Analysis of Brain Tumors in Children.

Ki Ji Lee¹, Eun Sook Choi¹, Jae Sun Park¹, Tae Sang Chun¹, Robert H Kyle², Hwa Dong Lee², Bang Hur², Man Ha Hur³

¹Department of Pediatrics, Kosin Medical College, Busan Korea
²Department of Neurosurgery, Kosin Medical College, Busan Korea
³Department of Pathology, Kosin Medical College, Busan Korea

Abstract

Brain tumors are the second most common tumors in pediatric age groups. 22 cases of child brain tumors diagnosed by CT and operation at Kosin medical center in the period of 7 years from Jan. 1979 to Dec. 1985 were reviewed and the result were as follows. 1) The age distribution of brain tumor is the highest between 5 and 10 years (14/22), and the sex distribution is more higher in girl (1:1.44). 2) In the pathological analysis of 17 biopsied tumors, there are 5 cases of astrocytoma (17.6%), and each one cases of pinealoma, oligodendroglioma, ependymoma, glioblastoma, brain stem glioma respectively. 3 cases of pinealomas and 2 cases of brain stem glioma had not undergone pathological analysis. 3) The location of 22 brain tumor were more frequent in the supratentorial (12/22) than in the infratentorial region (10/22). 4) Th most common symptoms of the supratentorial tumors were headache (66.7%) followed by vomiting, ataxia, visual disorder, nausea in descending order of frequency. Those of infratentorial tumors were vomiting (90%) followed by papilledema, ataxia, nausea, dizziness in order of frequency. 5) In the review of CT finding of brain tumors, astrocytomas and craniopharyngiomas have cystic shape, medulloblastomas and pinealomas are homogenous, glioblastoma multiforme, ependymoma and oligodendroglioma are inhomogeneous, cystic walls of astrocytomas, craniopharyngiomas, ependymoma and oligodendroglioma have calcifications in structural characteristics. In the comparison of densities of lesions with those of brain, cysts of astrocytomas and craniopharyngiomas are decreased, whereas those of pinealoma is equal, those of medulloblastoma and glioblastoma are increased. Almost all tumors except astrocytoma had contrast enhancement. Hydrocephalus is more common and severe in degree in the patients of medulloblastoma, infratentorial astrocytoma and pinealoma. 6) In the therapy, 20 cases had radiation, and had undergone complete or partial resection and/or shunt operation. Chemotherapy was combined in 4 cases. 7) Among 22 cases of the patient, 15 cases were possible to follow-up and 9 of them have been survived, the other 6 patients were died. Among 20 treated cases, 6 cases have been living more than 3 years and the 3 year survival rate comprising at least 30%.

Keywords :Brain tumor, Brain CT.