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Published on: July 5, 2021
[Neuroradiological differential diagnosis in medulloblastomas and ependymomas: results of the HIT'91-study]
1Abteilung für Neuroradiologie, Universität Würzburg, Germany. warmuth@neuroradiologie.uni-wuerzburg.de
Background:
Imaging criteria of medulloblastomas and ependymomas were defined retrospectively to allow a preoperative differential diagnosis of these malignant tumors of the posterior fossa.
Patients And Methods:
CT and/or MR-studies of 103 patients with medulloblastomas and 19 ependymomas treated in the HIT'91-trial were centrally reviewed. Evaluation concerned the origin, CT-density or MR-signal intensity, enhancement, internal structural homogeneity and results of staging of the tumors.
Results:
Medulloblastomas and Ependymomas showed different results concerning all imaging criteria.
Conclusion:
On the basis of differences in localisation, enhancement and tumor growth in most cases a preoperative differential diagnosis between medulloblastomas and ependymomas is possible. Increased density on CT allows the differentiation of the malignant tumors from pilocytic astrocytomas of the fourth ventricle.