Long-term follow-up of infratentorial pilocytic astrocytomas

We present the data of 99 patients operated on for infratentorial pilocytic astrocytoma from 1955 to 1980 at the Neurosurgical Department of the University of Hamburg/West Germany. Twenty-two patients had died. From 56 patients long-term follow-up was obtained. A comparison was done for patients either operated on until 1969 or since 1970, the time when microscopes had been introduced into the operation theatre. The mortality rate clearly dropped with the beginning of the "microsurgical era", certainly due to other improvements as well, e. g. neurosurgical intensive care. The drop in mortality was not accompanied by an improvement in outcome. Future perspectives of possibly further improving the therapy of pilocytic astrocytomas are outlined.