[Tumors of the 3d ventricle, clinical aspects and treatment]

Our last 30 patients, who were operated upon 3rd-ventricle-tumors, are discussed on symptomatology, diagnosis and therapy. Depending on the localization we classify oral, basal and caudal tumors. The peak of these tumors is found in the first ten years of life. They are distributed as followed: spongioblastomas, ependymomas, pinealoma and other rare tumors. Mainsymptom is the sudden diffuse headache depending on this skull's position. The three groups show different symptomatic features, the oral one sepecially that headache described above. The symptoms of the caudal group are due to signs of raised intracranial pressure and content the typical syndrome of the lamina-quadrigemina. Basal tumors lead to diencephalic disturbances. The CT scan should be done as the first diagnostic step, eventually connected with ventriculography or ventriculotomography. In any case therapy should be started by implantation of an atrio-ventriculare shunt. If the disease is progressing an invasive procedure has to be done. Irradiation therapy is bound to a clear histologic diagnosis or to a clear inoperability. Our 5-years survival was 40% in average.