Paediatric Cerebellar Astrocytoma on MRI

Central Nervous System (CNS) is the second most common site of neoplasms in children. The infratentorial region is the most frequent site of CNS neoplasms in the pediatric population. Cerebellar astrocytoma ranks second only to medulloblastoma in frequency of occurrence. However in available literature, despite being relatively common, a fair amount of confusion exists regarding their histopathologic classification and treatment. Russell and Rubinstein divided cerebellar astrocytomas into the following groups: juvenile pilocytic, a form resembling juvenile pilocytic but with more glial fibrils and areas of spongy tissue, and diffuse astrocytomas. Cerebellar astrocytomas are benign tumors of childhood known to be associated with excellent long-term survival in patients in whom complete surgical resection is possible. However, the roles of other factors¿clinical, radiological, histological, and therapeutic in the survival of the patient, tumor recurrence, and long-term patient outcome remain imprecise.It is recommended to attain more specific information about the use of advanced magnetic resonance techniques in the evaluation of pediatric brain tumors.