Neuroimaging clinics of North America
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Pediatric brain tumors are the leading cause of death from solid tumors in childhood. The most common posterior fossa tumors in children are medulloblastoma, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor, cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma, ependymoma, and brainstem glioma. ⋯ Moreover, information obtained from advanced MR imaging techniques increase diagnostic confidence and help distinguish between different histologic tumor types. Here we discuss the most common posterior fossa tumors in children, including typical imaging findings on CT, cMR imaging, and advanced MR imaging studies.
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Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Feb 2017
ReviewNeuroimaging of Peptide-based Vaccine Therapy in Pediatric Brain Tumors: Initial Experience.
The potential benefits of peptide-based immunotherapy for pediatric brain tumors are under investigation. Treatment-related heterogeneity has resulted in radiographic challenges, including pseudoprogression. ⋯ Advanced neuroimaging techniques, including diffusion magnetic resonance (MR), perfusion MR, and MR spectroscopy, may add value in the assessment of treatment-related heterogeneity. Observations suggest that recent delineation of specific response criteria for immunotherapy of adult brain tumors is likely relevant to the pediatric population and further validation in multicenter pediatric brain tumor peptide-based vaccine studies is warranted.
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The breadth of tumors that can arise in the supratentorial brain in children is extensive. With the exception of those that result in seizures and the highly malignant histologies, supratentorial tumors may come to medical attention later compared with infratentorial tumors, as they are less commonly associated with ventricular obstruction. This article presents an overview of the neuroimaging characteristics of these entities, with particular attention to relevant features that may aid in narrowing the differential diagnosis, including correlation with demographics and clinical presentation.
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Extraparenchymal lesions of childhood include neoplastic and nonneoplastic entities. Lesions affecting children are different from the most common entities affecting adults. ⋯ MR imaging is the examination of choice for the evaluation of extraparenchymal lesions given greater sensitivity and anatomic detail. Syndromic associations should be considered, especially for unusual lesions in the pediatric age group such as meningioma and schwannoma.
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Brain tumors can develop in the prenatal and neonatal time periods. Neuroimaging studies are crucial for the early detection of prenatal and neonatal brain tumors. Imaging allows for characterization of morphology, as well as the detection of hydrocephalus, local invasion, and distant spread. The imaging features of the more common neonatal brain tumors, including teratomas, choroid plexus tumors, ATRTs, and neoplasm mimics are described.