Management of intrinsic gliomas of the tectal plate in children. A ten-year review

Abstract

The natural history, management, and long-term outcome for patients with benign, intrinsic tectal plate gliomas remain controversial in spite of their propensity to cause late-onset hydrocephalus. A 10-year retrospective review has identified 11 consecutive children with tectal plate lesions. Headache, vomiting, a decline in school performance, tremor, and complex partial seizures were common presenting symptoms. All patients presented with signs and symptoms of hydrocephalus. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging delineated an intra-axial mass lesion of the midbrain primarily localized to the tectal plate which uniformly was hyperintense on T2-weighted imaging and had a more variable appearance on T1-weighted imaging and rare enhancement with gadolinium. No patient underwent surgical resection, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. Three of 11 patients (27%) showed evidence of progression in size or a new focus of enhancement on MR imaging, which was clinically asymptomatic. In this series, no patient with a tectal plate lesion less than 1.5 cm in maximal diameter and without gadolinium enhancement showed any evidence of clinical or radiological progression. Although intrinsic tectal lesions in children are clinically indolent and the initial management consists of CSF diversion, these lesions may eventually progress and still warrant long-term follow-up with serial MR imaging.