Surgical treatment of a neonate with refractory seizures secondary to congenital giant cell astrocytoma: case report and literature review

SF Hon, GKC Wong, XL Zhu, HK Ng, NC Sin, WS Poon
Division of Neurosurgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong

Congenital brain tumours are rare. They account for 0.5% to 1.9% of intracranial tumours in childhood and have an incidence of 0.34 per million live births. Most congenital brain tumours are neuro-ectodermal tumours and medulloblastomas; giant cell astrocytoma and other tuberous sclerosis–related tumours are rare. We report on a neonate who developed seizures that were refractory to medical treatment. Imaging studies revealed a right frontal calcified tumour. Surgical resection was performed successfully and pathology revealed the tumour to be a giant cell astrocytoma. The child was seizure-free afterwards.

Hong Kong Med J 2006;12:222-4

Key words: Astrocytoma; Infant, newborn; Seizures; Tuberous sclerosis