Intracranial meningiomas of childhood and adolescence: report of 34 cases with follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics of rare meningiomas occurring during childhood and adolescence specially demography, locations, radiological findings, pathological features, and outcome; 34 patients can be followed up and analyzed.
METHODS: Fifty-nine patients with meningiomas were treated during the period of 2000-2007 at the Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital. Thirty-four cases which can be followed up were analyzed by retrospective method. Clinical presentation, anatomical distribution, radiological findings, clinical behavior, outcome, and follow-up are summarized.
RESULTS: All cases had been performed microsurgical treatment including 20 cases totally resection. Eleven cases have been achieved subtotal resection. Two patients have been performed biopsy because of giant tumor volume. One patient has been partially resected for internal carotid artery involved. The operative mortality is zero. The average follow-up period is 4 years long. There was recurrence in seven and metastasis in two. Adjuvant radiotherapy has been performed on residual, malignant, and recurrent tumors. Six patients are dead.
CONCLUSIONS: The sex predominance is not similar to that in adults. Increased ICP, decreased visual acuity, and seizure are the common presentation. There is a higher incidence of intraventricle and skull base region. Larger size and frequent abnormal tumor calcification and cyst appear not relative to pathological subtypes. The higher incidence of atypical histopathological features than adult is affirmative. The prognosis is good if the tumor can be totally removed and adjuvant radiotherapy not to be significant beneficial after incomplete excision.