[Combined treatment of brain stem tumors]

During the two recent decades the introduction of new technologies to neurosurgery resulted in certain progress in diagnosis and combined treatment of brain stem tumors which still remain the most complex problems of neurooncology. Using the present-day diagnostic complex including a thorough dynamic neurological examination, neurophysiological investigations, and visualization methods allowed not only to detect the primary forms of brain stem tumors and their sizes but also to reveal the topographoanatomical interrelationships with the stem structures that allowed to determine the chances of surgical, combined treatment or the radiation and chemotherapy treatment only. The article gives an analysis and the clinical course of the diagnosis and combined treatment of 333 children and adult patients with primary, secondary and peri-trunkal tumors of the brain stem.