Intracranial intraventricular tumors: long-term surgical outcome of 25 patients

Abstract

Background/aim: The aim of this paper is to provide the long-term surgical outcome of patients with intracranial intraventricular tumors.

Materials and methods: Twenty-five patients operated on for intraventricular tumors between June 1999 and June 2014 are reviewed. Data from before, during, and after surgery were obtained from the patients' files and patients were followed regularly after surgery.

Results: The group of patients comprised 15 females and 10 males with a mean age of 31.6 ± 16 years. The majority were adults and only 3 children were included. Three, 4, and 18 patients had tumors in the 4th, 3rd, and frontal horn of the lateral ventricles, respectively. All patients showed a varying degree of hydrocephalus and headache was the most common presenting symptom. Overall, central neurocytoma was the most common pathological diagnosis. Complications were found in only 4 patients and, in long-term follow-up, 3 patients had died due to the malignant nature or upgrading to a malignant tumor and the rest were alive.

Conclusion: Total removal of the intraventricular tumor increases survival because the majority of these tumors are benign and slow-growing. The type of surgical intervention should be chosen according to the location of the tumor in the ventricular system.