Abstract
Four boys and four girls with brain tumors who were admitted to our department in the last 8 years are herein described. They presented with epileptic fits, which began before the age of 14 years, with neither intracranial hypertension nor localizing signs during the first 6 months of the illness. The length of time between the first fit and the diagnosis of a tumor ranged from 2 months to 11 years (median of 3 years), during which period all patients but one received anticonvulsant therapy. The nontreated patient was under psychiatric treatment for 1 year. The electroencephalographic evolution was disconcerting, showing asymmetry of the recording with association of slow polymorphic waves and acute irregular waves, suggesting encephalitis. The neuroradiological diagnosis was made by cerebral arteriography in one patient and in the others by angiography and CT scans (which revealed hypodense cerebral areas in five cases and hyperdense areas in the other two). The histology of the tumor was that of a grade I astrocytoma in six cases; a grade III oligondendroglioma in one case, and a meningioma in the other. All patients underwent surgical treatment. Four also received radiation therapy, two for a partially excised astrocytoma and one each for an oligodendroglioma and a meningioma. Postoperatively, all patients were put on anticonvulsant drug therapy. There were no mortalities. To date, only one astrocytoma has recurred. The sequellae observed were hemiparesis in one case and marked psychomotor deficit in another. These two patients also still have epileptic fits. The others are all psychologically and neurologically normal, and two are now off antiepileptic drugs.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aicardi J, Gandon Y (1984) Epilepsies revealing tumours of the cerebra hemisphere in children.
Aicardi J, Fraud E, Bancaud J, Chevrie JJ (1970) Epilepsies cliniquement primitives et tumeurs cérébrales chez l'enfant. Arch Fr Pediatr 27:1041–1055
Backus RE, Millichap JG (1962) The seizure as a manifestation of intracranial tumor in childhood. Pediatrics 29:978–984
Cohen ME, Fuffner PK (1986) Brain tumors in children. (International review of child neurology series) Raven Press, New York, p 176
Escobedo F, Sotelo J, Rubio F (1981) Frecuencia de tumores cerebrales en pacientes epilépticos. Salud Pública de México, Epoca V, vol 23, pp 269–273
Gamstorp I (1970) Pediatric neurology. Appleton-Century Crofts, New York, p 348
Gjerris F (1976) Clinical aspects and long-term prognosis of intracranial tumours in infancy and childhood. Dev Med Child Neurol 18:145–159
Harwood-Nash DC (1976) Neuroradiology in infants and children, vol 2. Mosby, St Louis, Ill, pp 672–674
Lennox W (1960) Epilepsy and related disorders. Little, Brown & Co, Boston, pp 616–618
List C (1936) Epileptiform attacks in cases of glioma of the cerebral hemispheres. Arch Neurol Psychiatry 35:323–350
Livingston S (1954) The diagnosis and treatment of convulsive disorders in children. Thomas, Springfield, Ill, p 314
Low NL, Conell JW, Hamill JF (1965) Tumors of the cerebral hemispheres in children. Arch Neurol 13:547–554
Lyon G (1969) Introduction à la neurologie pédiatrique. Maloine, Paris, pp 95–103
Matson DD (1969) Neurosurgery of infancy and childhood. Thomas, Springfield, Ill, pp 403–409, 480–522
Menkes JH (1975) Textbook of child neurology. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, pp 380–419
Millichap JG, Bickford RG, Miller RH, Backus RE (1962) The electroencephalogram in children with intracranial tumours and seizures. Neurology 12:329–336
Mises J, Moussalli F, Plouin P (1976) L'apport de l'EEG dans les tumeurs supratentorielles de l'enfant. Rev Electroencephalogr Neurophysiol Clin 3:377–381
Odom GL, Davis CJ, Woodhall B (1956) Brain tumours in children. Clinical analysis of 164 cases. Pediatrics 18:856–870
Page LK, Lombroso CT, Matson DD (1969) Childhood epilepsy with late detection of cerebral glioma. J Neurosurg 31:253–261
Raimondi AJ (1973) Pediatric neuroradiology. Saunders, Philadelphia, p 476
Raimondi AJ, Tomita T (1981) Brain tumours in children. Advantages and disadvantages of individual treatment modalities. (Concepts in pediatric neurosurgery, vol 1.) Karger, Basel, pp 1–28
Rubinstein LJ (1972) Tumors of the central nervous system. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC, pp 19–84
Russell DS, Rubinstein LJ (1972) Pathology of tumours of the nervous system. Arnold, London, pp 108, 147, 168, 181
Stern RO (1937) Cerebral tumours in children. A pathologic report. Arch Dis Child 12:291
Till K (1975) Paediatric neurosurgery. Blackwell, London
Tomori N, Ishikawa A, Maruyama H (1978) Computed tomography in childhood epilepsy. Folia Psychiatr Neurol Jpn 32:353–372
Weber M, Loisseau P (1978) Epilepsies et epileptiques-ligue Française contre l'epilepsie, p 49
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Suárez, J.C., Sfaello, Z.M., Guerrero, A. et al. Epilepsy and brain tumors in infancy and adolescence. Child's Nerv Syst 2, 169–174 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00706805
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00706805