Experience of Intracranial Gangliogliomas

ABSTRACT

Gangliogliomas are rare benign tumors of the central nervous system consisting of neoplastic ganglion and low grade glial cells. The purpose of our investigation was to evaluate the clinical, radiological, surgical, and pathological features and outcome of ten patients with intracranial ganglioglioma who underwent surgery between June 1989 and December 1996. The mean follow-up period was about 24 months(range, 6-66 months) after their initial operation. The series consisted of six males and four females, and their mean age was 29.7 years. The mean length of symptoms was 9.1 years. Seizure was the most common presenting symptom and occurred in eight of ten patients. MRI findings were variable, and showed no characteristic patterns. The temporal lobe was the most common site of involvement(6/10). During surgery, a sharp demarcation between tumor and normal brain tissue was seen in seven of ten cases. Five of ten cases were solid, and the remaining cases were cystic in two, cystic with mural nodule in two, and soft, suckable in one. Total resection was possible in seven of ten patients. Diagnosis was established by identifying a mixture of abnormal astrocytic and neuronal components. Two patients showed astrocytic predominance; four, a neuronal predominance; and four, an equal admixture of cell types. All cases were benign. Other histopathological findings included microcystic change, desmoplasia, eosinophilic granular body, microcalcification, and lymphocytic infiltration. At the time of writing, all seven patients who underwent total resection were alive without recurrence; of the three who underwent subtotal resection, two were alive and in a stable condition, while in the other, the tumor had progressed within 12 months of surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy had thus been required. The patients was, though, still alive. In seven of eight patients, the frequency of seizure had markedly decreased. Our study confirms that this tumor is a distinct clinical and histological entity with a predilection for the temporal lobe. Although the number of patients and follow-up period are limited, this study also shows that epilepsy is extremely well controlled and that survival after surgical resection is good.