Abstract
Background: It is difficult to diagnosis early stage germ cell tumors originating in the basal ganglia, but early recognition is important for better outcome. Objective: To evaluate serial MR images of basal ganglia germ cell tumors, with emphasis on the features of early stage tumors. Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed serial MR images of 15 tumors in 14 children and young adults. We categorized MR images of the tumors as follows: type I, ill-defined patchy lesions (<3 cm) without cyst; type II, small mass lesions (<3 cm) with cyst; and type III, large lesions (≥3 cm) with cyst. We also assessed temporal changes of the MR images. Results: On the initial images, 8 of 11 (73%) type I tumors progressed to types II or III, and 3 of 4 (75%) type II tumors progressed to type III. The remaining 4 tumors did not change in type. All type II tumors (5/5, 100%) that changed from type I had a few tiny cysts. Intratumoral hemorrhage was observed even in the type I tumor. Ipsilateral hemiatrophy was observed in most of the tumors (13/15, 87%) on initial MR images. As tumors grew, cystic changes, intratumoral hemorrhage, and ipsilateral hemiatrophy became more apparent. Conclusion: Early stage basal ganglia germ cell tumors appear as ill-defined small patchy hyperintense lesions without cysts on T2-weighted images, are frequently associated with ipsilateral hemiatrophy, and sometimes show microhemorrhage. Tumors develop tiny cysts at a relatively early stage.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 719-726 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Pediatric Radiology |
Volume | 46 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 May 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Keywords
- Adolescent
- Basal ganglia
- Child
- Early stage
- Germ cell tumor
- Magnetic resonance imaging
- Serial images