The effects of new technologies on the surgical management of brainstem tumors

Nuclear magnetic resonance, real-time and A-scan ultrasonography, and computerized CO2 lasers were recently introduced for diagnosis and surgical treatment of brainstem tumors. These new technologies offer many advantages: safe but aggressive surgery on the brainstem, the possibility of performing a correct histologic diagnosis, and an exact indication for radiotherapy. Eleven tumors were operated on in our series: seven were intrinsic and four protruded out from the axis. Patients with high-grade malignant tumors died from 5 to 12 months after treatment, whereas those with pilocytic astrocytoma are still alive and leading useful lives.