2008 Volume 43 Issue 4 Pages 263-267
Since the electron microscope was first historically developed by von Ardenne in 1930’s, various improvements such as the use of condenser, osmium as a fixative and microtome were achieved to dramatically advance the capability of the electron microscope. Fernandez-Moran (1947) and Tsunoda (1958) are recognized as pioneers of the ultrastructural studies of brain tumors, and various unique ultrastructures of the brain tumors were revealed with the introduction of the electron microscope. Since then, new types of brain tumors were identified one after another. Moreover, electron microscopy contributed in demonstrating the various trends of differentiation of the versatile brain tumors. Finally, electron microscopy can be further applied in evaluating the malignancy level and functional studies of the brain tumors, and further discoveries will be expected in the future.
