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Clinical Presentation and Assessment for Brainstem Tumors

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Brainstem Tumors

Abstract

Tumors originating from the midbrain, pons and medulla are collectively named as brainstem tumors. Their prevalence in the pediatric age group is around 10–20%. They may grow as focal or diffuse lesions. Unfortunately, the majority of these lesions have bad prognosis. In general sense, acute onset of symptoms with multiple cranial nerve palsies indicates worse prognosis. The most frequent symptom of a brainstem tumor is pyramidal weakness. Other symptoms are nausea, vomiting, balance problems and cranial nerve palsies. Patients with cranial nerve palsies may have double vision, conjugate gaze palsy, swallowing difficulties, dropped shoulder, and problems with tongue movements. Papilledema is not a usual sign of brainstem tumors because it is generally a late problem in these patients. Less frequently, these patients may have nystagmus and other rare brainstem syndromes involving the pons and the midbrain.

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Abbreviations

LCN:

Lower cranial nerves

MLF:

Medial longitudinal fasciculus

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Acibadem University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

    Bahattin Tanrıkulu & M. Memet Özek

Authors
  1. Bahattin Tanrıkulu
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  2. M. Memet Özek
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Institute for Brain Protection Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA

    George I. Jallo

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Institute for Brain Protection Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA

    Mohammad Hassan A. Noureldine

  3. Institute of Neuroscience, Geisinger Medical Center, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Danville, PA, USA

    Nir Shimony

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Tanrıkulu, B., Özek, M.M. (2020). Clinical Presentation and Assessment for Brainstem Tumors. In: Jallo, G., Noureldine, M., Shimony, N. (eds) Brainstem Tumors. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38774-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38774-7_4

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