Cerebral hemispheric low-grade glial tumors in children: preoperative anatomic assessment with MRI and DTI

Abstract

Purpose: The aims of this study are to analyze how the nature and the behavior of low-grade glial tumors (LGGT) in children may correlate with the anatomy of the cerebral hemispheres and to evaluate the consequent impact of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) techniques in the presurgical assessment.

Methods: This is a combined review of a series of 155 cases of LGGT and of the recent literature on the subject.

Results: The cases retrieved from our data bank were divided in central hemispheric tumors (basal ganglia and thalami) (36 cases), glioneuronal cortical-based tumors (49 cases), and glial tumors of the cerebral mantle (70 cases). A close correlation was found in the thalamus between the primary location of the tumor (juxta-ventricular, inferior, lateral, bilateral) and its extension (ventricular lumen, midbrain and mesial temporal, globus pallidus, respectively) which may relate to the connectivity. Among the glioneuronal tumors, most gangliogliomas were located in the temporal lobe and especially in the mesial temporal structures. In addition, the morphologic feature of the ganglioglioma was different there from the neocortical areas. As a complementary approach, DTI data may assist in evaluating the structure and the extension of the LGGT, in addition to planning the surgical strategy.

Conclusions: In the cerebral hemispheres like in the rest of the central nervous system, there is some degree of correlation between the anatomy and the nature, appearance, and behavior of the LGGT in children.

Keywords: Anatomy; Brain imaging; DTI; Glioneuronal tumors; Low-grade glioma; Pilocytic astrocytoma; Thalamic tumors.