Intraventricular neurocytoma: a clinicopathological study of 20 cases with review of the literature.

The clinicopathological features of 20 cases of central neurocytomas are described. They accounted for 0.28% of all intracranial tumours diagnosed during a 16 year period (1980-1995). Lower mean age of the patients at diagnosis (23.1 years), male preponderance (M:F=1.8:1) and higher incidence of involvement of the right lateral ventricle (10/20 cases) were noted in this series, in contrast to reports from Western literature. Total removal of the tumour was done in 14 cases while the remaining six underwent partial resection. Morphogically, the tumours had a striking resemblance to oligodendrogliomas (11/20 had been earlier diagnosed as oligodendrogliomas) and an interesting finding was the presence of dilated vascular channels in 12/20 tumours. The diagnosis was confirmed in all cases by immunohistochemistry and/or electron microscopy. While 18 cases were histologically benign, two had features of atypical neurocytoma. Five patients died due to postoperative complications. The remaining patients received postoperative radiation and their follow-up revealed that all of them were doing well at 12 to 72 months after surgery. These neoplasms should be suspected in any young patient with radiological evidence of an intraventricular lesion; for their differentiation from gliomas, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy should be done. This is important because, unlike gliomas, these tumours have a relatively favourable prognosis and their current treatment of choice is complete surgical removal without adjuvant chemo- or radiotherapy. Copyright 1999 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.