[Neuroradiologic findings in tumors of ventricles I-III]

In the period from 1953-1983, apart from the computer tomography the following neurodiagnostic methods were employed for the diagnosis of ventricular tumours: native radiography of the skull, PEG, ventriculography, positive ventriculography, angiography and cerebral scintigraphy. This study shows that a clear change in the importance of the various methods has taken place in the above mentioned period of time. The X-ray pictures of the skull taken without a contrast medium have become less important in the last few years although they showed direct and indirect signs of the tumours in almost all ventricular tumours. The former paramount importance of the presentation of the tumours with negative or positive contrast media has decreased considerably. From 1980, for example, practically no pneumo-encephalograms and no air ventriculography have been carried out. The unreliable filling in PEG and the considerable stress for the patients, especially in classic ventriculography, and thus the relatively high rate of wrong diagnoses are the reasons for this change. Only the direct positive representation of the third ventricle, e.g. in case of pinealoma, are still attached the same importance as computer tomography. Carotid angiography which shows almost every ventricular tumour in our patients and can yield information about the vascular supply, has maintained its importance in the neuroradiological scheme of diagnostics.