Tumors and approaches to the lateral ventricles. Introduction and overview

There are a variety of tumors that arise within the lateral ventricles and they present a unique surgical challenge. These lesions commonly are benign and because they frequently are slowly expanding and cause non-specific symptoms they can grow to a large size before they reach medical attention. This report presents an introduction to and an overview of the problems caused by lateral ventricular tumors and summarizes the author's experience in the evaluation and management of these lesions. The most consistent neurological problems associated with lateral ventricular tumors are cognitive impairments commonly associated with hydrocephalus. Consequently, effective management not only requires successful surgical therapy, but also returning the patient to normal neurological and cognitive function. Recognition of these problems and minimizing further injury are the best methods of providing for an optimal outcome.