Choroid Plexus Papilloma

Choroid plexus papillomas, rare benign tumors that are most common in children younger than 12, grow slowly until they eventually block the flow of cerebrospinal fluid causing hydrocephalus and increased pressure inside the skull.

Diagnosis

A neurological evaluation should be done if a patient has slowly increasing signs of mental dysfunction, new seizures, persistent headaches or evidence that there is pressure inside the skull such as vomiting or swelling or protrusion of the blind spot at the back of the eye.

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A neurologist, a doctor who has received special additional training in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the brain, spinal cord and nerves, will do a complete examination.  Your doctor may request a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan or a computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan as well as chest X-rays to check whether the tumor has spread from another part of the body. An MRI usually finds low-grade astrocytomas earlier than CT. Cerebral angiography is rarely used to diagnose a brain tumor, but may be done before surgery.

Depending on the patient's symptoms, specialized tests may be done. These include tests of the field of vision, the sharpness of vision and hearing.

If the results of other tests aren't conclusive, an examination of the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord may be done. This is usually unnecessary.

Treatment

Treatment of a brain tumor depends on the nature of the tumor, how rapidly it is growing, what symptoms it causing and where it is located. Usually several treatment approaches are used.

This type of tumor is most effectively treated with surgery. In half of the patients, surgery resolves the hydrocephalus and these patients do not require a shunt to drain the excess fluid in the brain.

Choroid plexus carcinoma is a rare, malignant form of this tumor. It is not curable with surgery alone, but requires additional therapy including chemotherapy and sometimes radiation therapy.

Resources at Cedars-Sinai

• Pediatric Brain Tumor Program