Long-term neurological outcome of childhood brain tumors treated by surgery only

PURPOSE: To evaluate the pattern of neurological late effects in patients who have received surgery only for a brain tumor in childhood and to identify possible risk factors for neurological sequelae.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical, histologic, and operative records were reviewed for 65 consecutive patients operated for a benign brain tumor from 1970 to 1997, and all patients were re-examined after a median length of follow-up of 10.7 years. Thirty-four patients had posterior fossa tumors, 22 patients had cerebral hemisphere tumors, and nine patients had midline tumors.

RESULTS: At the time of follow-up, 20 patients (31%) had no neurological deficits, 22 patients (34%) had minor deficits that did not interfere with their daily life activities, and 23 patients (35%) had moderate or severe deficits such as severe ataxia, spastic paresis, seriously reduced vision, or epilepsy with more than two seizures per year. Fourteen of the 31 patients (45%) registered with ataxia preoperatively had recovered fully. Six of seven patients had persistence of a pre- or postoperatively developed hemiparesis. Thirteen of 23 patients had persistence of cranial nerve deficits that developed second to surgery. Fifty-five percent of the 18 patients with seizures at diagnosis were seizure-free at follow-up. At follow-up both ataxia and hemiparesis were significantly more frequent among females (P =.02 and P =.03, respectively).

CONCLUSION: In patients who received operation as the only treatment for their brain tumor, there was a good chance of total or partial recovery of preoperative and postoperative neurological deficits, although only one third of the patients will have no long-term neurological deficits.