Annotated image - Annotated images
How are these tumours treated?
As tectal plate gliomas are low grade and often very slow growing, shunting is often the only required intervention for long term survival. As surgical biopsy can have significant morbidity in this area, usually the diagnosis is made on imaging findings alone. In the minority of patients who progress, radiotherapy often leads to local control or even tumour regression. Surgical excision is only sometimes necessary.
What two main approaches to treatment of the hydrocephalus are utilised?
A VP shunt can be inserted or a third ventriculostomy performed.
The tectum of the midbrain is expanded on the right by an ill defined mass (yellow dotted line) with resultant obstruction to the aqueduct (orange arrow).
There is hydrocephalus with marked upward deviation and thinning of the corpus callosum (blue arrows) and ballooning of the supraoptic recess fo the third ventricle (red arrow).