Abstract
Few focal neurological signs are seen in pediatric cases of posterior fossa tumor. Promptly establishing the diagnosis is thus often difficult in the absence of neuroradiological findings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic process for children with posterior fossa tumors. We retrospectively analyzed 27 children with posterior fossa tumor treated in our department. Diagnoses included medulloblastoma (n=11), pontine glioma (n=5), astrocytoma (n=3), ependymoma (n=2), and other tumors (n=6). The most common initial symptoms were headache, vomiting, and ataxia. Mean duration between symptom onset and radiological diagnosis was 1.9 months (range, 3 days to 7 months). Eleven patients were initially diagnosed with common cold or gastrointestinal infection by general physicians and pediatricians. Cases of posterior fossa tumor are difficult to diagnose based solely on general findings. However, ataxia in addition to repeated headache and vomiting is the key symptom in diagnosis. Physicians must bear in mind the possibility of posterior fossa tumors when examining children presenting with headache and vomiting.
