|
A 4 year-old boy presented with headaches, vomiting and an unsteady gait. |
| Medulloblastoma. (Left) Flair
axial MRI; (Middle) T1-weighted with gadolinium coronal MRI; (Right) T1-weighted with gadolinium
sagittal MRI.
Note the large enhancing mass invading the roof of the fourth
ventricle. Compression of the fourth ventricle resulted in
non-communicating hydrocephalus (best seen on the Flair image).
Surgical resection demonstrated the mass to be a medulloblastoma. Medulloblastoma most often occurs in children and is responsible for approximately 30% of intracranial pediatric tumors. It is one of the primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET). The tumor usually arises in the midline of the roof of the fourth ventricle and may spread locally as well as to other parts of the neuraxis, especially the meninges and spinal cord, the latter known as "dropped mets." |
Revised
11/27/06.
Copyrighted 2006. David C Preston