Pineal Region Tumours in Pediatric Age Group

16 cases of pineal region tumours in the pediatric age group constitute the subject of this study. After thorough investigations both clinical, radiological and laboratory, they were all operated upon by a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt to divert the cerebrospinal fluid. This was followed in 15 cases by the favoured occipital transtentorial approach and in one by the supracerebellar infratentorial approach. The microsurgical bipolar suction irrigation technique was used in all cases. The aim was to decompress as much as possible of the lesion mounting to complete excision and to attain ample biopsy for tissue diagnosis. There were no surgical mortalities. The outcome was excellent in 14 cases, one surgical morbidity in a highly invasive tumour, one incident of transient visual field defect and only one mortality due to haematemesis two weeks postoperative. ALTHOUGH pineal region tumours are responsible for only a small percentage (0.4 to 1%) of neoplasms of the brain, yet they have raked an interest out of proportion to their frequency [I], In the p&at_ rk age group the incidence increases and acounts for 3 to 8%. More than 50% of Introduction all pineal tumours are found in patients under 20 years of age [2]. 7’he pineal region is limited dorsally by the spknium of the corpus callosum and the tela choroidea, ventrally by the qua&igeminal plate, rostrally by the posterior point of the third ventricle and cauda@ by the vermis of the cerebellum I3]. # Presented in the First International Symposium of Nemo-Pediatric, Pediatric Neurosurgery Imaging, Held from 22nd24th of November, 1992 in Cairo, Egypt.