Primary intracranial brain tumours; a clinico-pathological study

ABSTRACT

Seventy-eight patients of different brain Tumours were studied from April 1998 to June 1999. Age, sex, presenting complaints, and location of tumour were analyzed. After presurgical evaluation these patients were operated and specimens were sent for histopathological examination. Majority of patients presented with signs and symptoms of raised intracranial pressure. Focal cerebral syndromes attributable to frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital lobe were also seen. Incompletely resected grade II astrocytomas received post-operative radiotherapy only. Whereas high grade astrocytomas whether completely or incompletely resected were given post-operative radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Histopathological analysis revealed that majority of the patients had astrocytomas others included pituitary adenoma, craniopharyngioma, meningioma, medulloblastoma and schwannoma. Some degree of necrosis was present in both anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiform patients [46.43%]. But extensive necrosis was seen only in patients with glioblastoma multiform. Infiltrative component was seen in the majority of astrocytoma patients [90.48%]