[Metastatic tumor of posterior fossa]

Twenty-seven cases of metastatic tumor of posterior fossa were presented in this paper. Of the patients, 20 were males and 7 females; their age ranged from 20 to 68, and 89% of them were over 40 years of age. The primary foci found were bronchopulmonary carcinomas (7 cases), rhinopharyngeal carcinomas (3 cases), and cancer of the liver (1 case), but in 16 cases the primary foci were not found. All of these patients presented symptoms and signs of obviously increased intracranial pressure, and most of them had the signs of cerebellar and cranial nerves' lesions. Ventriculorgraphy and brain CT scanning were important procedures in the diagnosis, and MRI was most valuable in establishing the diagnosis and localization of posterior fossa metastatic tumors. Twenty-six patients underwent operation. The short-term follow-up study showed an improvement in 25 cases. There was one death. The surgical treatment of posterior fossa metastatic tumor was emphasized. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy were discussed.