Characterizing Posterior Fossa Syndrome: A Survey of Experts

Abstract

Background: Despite recent efforts, disagreement remains among frontline clinicians regarding the operational definition of a syndrome commonly referred to as posterior fossa syndrome or cerebellar mutism syndrome.

Methods: We surveyed experts in the clinical care of children with posterior fossa tumors to identify trends and discrepancies in diagnosing posterior fossa syndrome.

Results: All surveyed professionals conceptualized posterior fossa syndrome as a spectrum diagnosis. The majority agreed that mutism is the most important symptom for diagnosis. However, results highlighted ongoing discrepancies related to important features of posterior fossa syndrome.

Conclusions: Greater posterior fossa syndrome conceptual alignment among providers is needed to formulate specific diagnostic criteria that would further research and clinical care. The authors propose preliminary diagnostic criteria for posterior fossa syndrome that require refinement through careful clinical characterization and targeted empirical investigation.

Keywords: Cerebellar mutism syndrome; Diagnostic criteria; Medulloblastoma; Pediatric brain tumor; Posterior fossa syndrome.