BRAIN-TUMORS IN INFANCY - A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY

To investigate the clinicopathological features of brain tumours occur ring in the first year of life, the records of the Department of Histo pathology at the Adelaide Children's Hospital were examined for cases where the initial diagnosis of intracranial neoplasm had been made in infancy. Surgical material was available for review from 1972 to 1993 and autopsy cases were reviewed for an additional 12 years from 1962 t o 1993. Twenty-four infants with intracranial neoplasms were diagnosed ranging in age from 5 days to 1 year (average = 7 months). There were 23 surgical cases and 1 autopsy case. The male to female ratio was 17 :7. Fifty-eight percent of the tumours were located in the supratentor ial region. Although the incidence is relatively low, this study demon strates that a wide range of brain tumours, which differ significantly in both clinical presentation and location from those found in the ol der child, do occur during the first year of life. The location of the primary tumour may be affected by associated congenital malformations , and metastatic malignancy, although rare, may occur. Antenatal ultra sound examination may be useful in identifying congenital intracranial tumours.