3 Interesting Facts of Juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma
- Pilocytic astrocytoma is a slow-growing glioma that presents in children with a similar history and physical examination, owing to the typical posterior fossa location surrounding the fourth ventricle; seizures are a more common presentation with pilocytic astrocytoma
- Characteristic CT findings are best used to differentiate these cystic lesions from medulloblastoma in preoperative period
- Pilocytic astrocytomas are large, cystic, round or oval structures with a sharply demarcated, smooth enhancing rim and without surrounding tissue edema on CT imaging; location is more often lateral compared with the usual midline location of medulloblastoma
- Characteristically a juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma is hypoattenuated on noncontrast CT (unless significant calcification and/or hemorrhage is present) compared with the hyperattenuated appearance characteristic of medulloblastoma on noncontrast CT imaging
- Pilocytic astrocytoma is definitively differentiated from medulloblastoma by histopathology