Noninvasive assessment of pediatric brain tumors.

The use of imaging techniques to noninvasively characterize pediatric CNS tumors and assess response to therapy has advanced in recent years. Newer techniques, such as perfusion, diffusion and proton spectroscopy allow for evaluation of different tumor and tissue characteristics. The clinical utility of these techniques in the diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and assessment of pediatric patients is currently being assessed. This article reviews these techniques and their potential application to children with brain tumors.