Infratentorial intratumoral hemorrhage

Infratentorial intratumoral hemorrhage is infrequently reported. Owing to crowding of the vital structures in the posterior fossa, a high percentage of bleeding tumors in this region are fatal. Only six such cases of bleeding ependymomas in the posterior fossa have been documented; four of the patients died. We report a seventh case of intratumoral hemorrhage in a 4th-ventricle ependymoma. This patient survived. Reported cases of infratentorially bleeding tumors of various histologic types are reviewed. Their pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and management are discussed.