Fifteen pediatric (age under 16) cases of oligodendroglioma (ODG) were surgically proven from January 1985 to April 1992 at the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Children's Hospital. To observe the proportion of ODG's in primary intracranial tumors, the location of ODG's and the prognostic significance of the histological grading of ODG's in childhood, the 15 cases of pediatric ODG's were retrospectively analyzed. ODG's accounted for 5.6% of pediatric primary intracranial tumors operated on during the same period. Nine tumors were located in the cerebral hemisphere (3 cases each in the frontal, temporal and parietooccipital lobes), 1 in the thalamus, 2 in the pons-medulla, 2 in the cerebellum and 1 in the thoracolumbar spinal cord. Four tumors were anaplastic and an additional case showed positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology for tumor cells. All the cases of anaplasia or positive CSF cytology had a poor outcome. All the seven cases of benign ODG's in cerebral hemispheres presented with seizures which were controlled with or without medication after tumor removal.
Adolescent ; Brain Neoplasms/complications/*pathology/therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Oligodendroglioma/complications/*pathology/therapy ; Prognosis ; Seizures/etiology

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathologic features, immunophenotype and histogenesis of dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNT).

METHODSFourteen cases of DNT were retrieved from the archival files of the Department. The histopathologic features and immunohistochemical findings were retrospectively studied. The long-term follow-up data were analyzed.

RESULTSEleven of the 14 cases studied were located in the temporal lobe. Histologically, the tumor consisted of a heterogeneous admixture of neuronal and glial cells (including 1 simple form case, 8 complex form cases and 5 non-specific form cases). The specific glioneuronal element was seen in 9 cases. Variable degrees of cortical dysplasia (CD) were found in 10 out of the 11 cases which had sufficient tissue samples for thorough histologic examination. The morphologic appearance of CD included the presence of heterotopic neurons in molecular layer and/or white matter (7 cases), persistent subpial granular cell layer (4 cases), dyslamination (10 cases) and cellular abnormalities. Immunohistochemically, the oligodendroglial-like cells expressed Olig2. Some of which were positive for nestin, MAP-2, neurofilament and glial fibrillary acidic protein, but negative for NeuN. Long-term follow up revealed that 12 patients had class I postoperative seizure and 2 patients had class II seizure. No tumor recurrence was detected.

CONCLUSIONSDNT is frequently associated with CD. The morphologic diagnosis can be confirmed by immunohistochemical study using a panel of antibodies.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Anticonvulsants ; therapeutic use ; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Brain Neoplasms ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Epilepsy ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant ; Intermediate Filament Proteins ; metabolism ; Male ; Malformations of Cortical Development ; complications ; pathology ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; metabolism ; Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; metabolism ; Nestin ; Oligodendrocyte Transcription Factor 2 ; Oligodendroglia ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult