Tumors of the Cerebral Hemispheres in Children

Abstract

TEXTBOOKS dealing with neurologic disorders in childhood, and those specifically with brain tumors in this age group, emphasize the different incidence and different locations of these tumors in children and adults. These sources state that over 60% of the brain tumors in the pediatric age are situated below the tentorium. Because of the relatively high incidence of craniopharyngiomas, optic gliomas and tumors in the pineal area, most neoplasms above the tentorium are clinically midline tumors. Tumors of the cerebral hemispheres in children are usually considered uncommon. This study deals with the signs and symptoms, with the clinical course, and the diagnostic problems in children with tumors located in the cerebral hemispheres, the thalamic area, and lateral ventricles. The initial clinical picture depends primarily on the location of the tumor, only secondarily on the histologic characteristics. This article will present statistical information which is somewhat different from previously published data