Abstract
Two hundred and twenty cases of cerebral tumors and 8 cases of spinal cord tumors in infancy are reported. The incidence of cerebral tumors reaches its peaks at 3–4 and 6–10 years of age; as regards sex, there were 125 females and 103 males. Medulloblastomas, ependymomas and craniopharyngiomas were more frequent in boys, meningiomas and neurinomas in girls. Histologically the more frequent types were gliomas (179 cases) especially astrocytomas (83 cases); malignant medulloblastomas (50 cases) and ependymomas (26 cases) followed in order of frequency; craniopharyngiomas were observed in 15 cases and meningiomas in 9 cases. There were 74 supratentorial and 146 subtentorial localizations; the fourth ventricle was site of tumors in 46 cases.
The most frequent of early symptoms was headache; sudden and projectile vomiting was also frequent, while ataxia and visual disturbances were more rare; when illness was fully developed the more frequent symptoms were reeling, papilledema, paresis of extremities and of facial nerve, nystagmus and hydrocephalus.
Among the 8 cases of spinal tumors, there were 2 neurinomas, 2 dermoids, 1 ependymoma, 1 meningioma, 1 chordoma and 1 sarcoma.
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