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Neurological Deficits Seen Often After Surgery-Only Therapy For Benign Childhood Brain Tumour

Only one-third of children receiving surgery for benign brain tumours will experience no long-term neurological deficits.

Danish researchers report that 31% of the children they studied had no neurological deficits, while 34% had minor deficits that did not interfere with activities of daily life. The remaining 35% of the children had moderate or severe deficits. Severe deficits included severe ataxia, spastic paresis, seriously reduced vision and epilepsy (with more than two seizures a year).

Investigators from University Hospital in Copenhagen evaluated patterns of neurological late-effects in 65 consecutive children operated on for benign brain tumour between 1970 and 1997. Thirty four patients had posterior fossa tumours, 22 had cerebral hemisphere tumours and nine had midline tumours.

Median follow-up was 10.7 years.

There were 31 patients with preoperative ataxia. Of these, 14 (45%) recovered fully. There were seven patients with preoperative or postoperative hemiparesis. Paralysis persisted in six of these patients.

Cranial nerve deficits developed second to surgery in 23 patients and persisted in 13 patients. There were 18 patients with seizures at diagnosis, with 55% seizure-free at follow-up.

The researchers also note both ataxia and hemiparesis were significantly more frequent in girls.
Journal of Clinical Oncology 2003;21:7:1347-1351. "Long-Term Neurological Outcome of Childhood Brain Tumors Treated by Surgery Only"

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