Posterior Fossa Intra-Axial Tumors: Surgical Outcomes

Abstract
Background: Central nervous system tumors are the most common solid tumors in children; posterior fossa tumors in children account for about 54%–70% of all brain tumors, while 15% to 20% of adult brain tumors occur in the posterior fossa.
Aim of Study: To document the short-term surgical out-comes of posterior fossa intra-axial tumors in patients presented with manifestations of raised intracranial pressure, brain stem and or cerebellar compression.
Patients and Methods: Thirty patients diagnosed with posterior fossa intra-axial tumors, presented to Neurosurgery departments, Qena University Hospital, South Valley Univer-sity and Assiut university hospital, from January 2014 to January 2016 were enrolled in this study. Complete clinical and neuroimaging evaluation of the patients was done. All patients underwent microscopic surgical excision. Patients were followed-up clinically and radiologically immediately and within one month postoperatively. The complications noted were documented. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS software (version 16.0).
Results: This study included 22 children and eight adults with a mean age 19.367±18.213 (SD). Increased intracranial pressure and/or ataxia were the main manifestations. Twenty-one patients showed significant post-operative symptomatic improvement when compared with pre-operative conditions, while the remaining nine patients showed either no improve-ment or more severely affected afterward two of them have died. Hydrocephalus was the most common post-operative complications and managed by insertion of a ventriculoperi-toneal shunt.
Conclusion: The surgical outcome of patients with intra-axial posterior cranial fossa tumors is good due to early correct diagnosis, the advent of microsurgical techniques, proper selection of the appropriate surgical approach and the proper treatment of post-operative complications.