[Magnetic resonance imaging of infratentorial anaplastic ependymoma in children]

Abstract

Objective: To show the main findings for anaplastic ependymoma on MRI.

Material and methods: We reviewed all patients diagnosed with anaplastic ependymoma at our tertiary hospital during a six-year period. We recorded the MRI findings for this type of tumor (on conventional sequences following the protocol for the study of CNS tumors, diffusion-weighted imaging, contrast-enhanced sequences, and MR spectroscopy).

Results: Our series comprises seven children with infratentorial anaplastic ependymoma. We found no definitive characteristics to distinguish between grade II and grade III tumors before histology, as none of the lesions had spread to the cerebrospinal fluid at diagnosis or showed increased restriction in the diffusion-weighted sequence.

Conclusions: The MRI characteristics cannot definitively distinguish between grade II ependymomas and anaplastic grade III ependymomas. Only a few details about diffusion and dissemination to the cerebrospinal fluid, if present, can distinguish between these types at imaging.