Intracranial meningiomas in children: report of 8 cases

Abstract

Background/aims: Meningiomas, although common in adults, are rare in infancy and childhood. We present a single institution experience of children with meningiomas and a comparison of our findings with other published data.

Methods: We reviewed the files of 352 children harboring a brain tumor, over a 16-year period. Eight cases of meningioma were verified (2.2%). All patients had been operated on and then had regular follow-up examinations.

Results: There were 6 males and 2 females. The most common symptom was seizures. All tumors were intracranial and all patients underwent a gross total resection of the lesion. Six meningiomas were typical, whereas 2 patients had an atypical meningioma. After a mean 7-year follow-up period, all patients were in excellent condition, without evidence of tumor recurrence.

Conclusion: Meningiomas, although rare, constitute a challenging problem. Gross total resection should be the goal and when it can be accomplished, the prognosis is excellent.