[Tumors of the third ventricle in children: review of 46 cases]

Abstract

In the national series, 46 patients out of 262 (17.5%) were children under 15 years of age. Most of them presented with gliomas (50 %), choroid plexus tumors were recorded in 8 cases (17%). Intracranial hypertension revealed the tumor in 80% of children, endocrine disorders were recorded in 8 patients. A stereotactic procedure was performed in 7 patients, 1 had ventriculoscopy, and a direct surgical approach to the third ventricle was performed in 37 patients, in one case after the failure of the endoscopic procedure. Two patients with a radiological appearance of hamartoma received no treatment. Most of patients were operated on via a transcortical approach (27 cases). The overall mortality in this series is 9%. The death was directly correlated to the surgical procedure (1 case), or to recurrence of the tumor (3 cases). The final outcome analysis recorded neurological impairment in 50% of cases, neuropsychological deficit in 58 % of patients, and residual endocrine disorders in 41%. Social independence was recovered by 82% of the children, and 68% returned to normal school attendance.