Recognizing The Benefits & Accepting The Risks Of Pediatric Brain Surgery

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Children's brains can develop pediatric brain tumors, which are lumps or growths of abnormal cells that affect the brain or nearby tissues and systems. There are numerous varieties of pediatric brain tumors, some of which are benign (noncancerous) and others of which are malignant (malignant).

Symptoms of Pediatric Brain Tumor

According to the tumor's size and location, the symptoms change. Except in very young children (whose skull bones have not yet fused), many pediatric brain tumor symptoms are linked to an increase in pressure in or around the brain since there is no room in the skull for anything other than the delicate brain tissues and their fluid. The following signs and symptoms can come from pressure on the brain caused by any tumor, excess tissue, or fluid:

  • ICP, or increased intracranial pressure, is a condition brought on by excess tissue or fluid in the brain. If one or more ventricles that drain cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord) are blocked, the fluid may become trapped in the brain and cause pressure to rise. ICP elevation can result in the following - headache, vomiting (typically in the morning), nausea, behavioral shifts, and irritability. 

  • Brain tumors in the cerebrum (front of the brain) can cause the following symptoms - seizures, a visual shift, unsteady speech, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body or the face
  • Brain tumors in the brainstem (base of the brain) can cause the following symptoms - seizures, hormone regulation issues (such as diabetes) and/or seizure, changes in the respiratory system Higher intracranial pressure (ICP), clumsy walking, loss of hearing
  • The following symptoms of brain tumors in the cerebellum (back of the brain) - more pronounced intracranial pressure (ICP), vomiting (typically occurs in the morning without nausea) (usually occurs in the morning without nausea)

Brain Tumor Surgery Risks

Your surgeon will attempt to remove as much of the brain tumor as is safely possible if the tumor is at a location that can be operated on.

Some brain tumors can be completely removed surgically because they are tiny and simple to separate from the surrounding brain tissue. Other brain tumors make surgery problematic because they are either too close to critical sections of your brain or can't be isolated from the surrounding tissue. Your doctor will take out as much of the tumor as is safe in these circumstances.

Even a small bit of the brain tumor may be removed to help you feel better.

There are dangers associated with brain tumor surgery, including bleeding and infection. The location of your tumor in your brain and any additional dangers could vary. For instance, vision loss could occur after surgery on a tumor close to the nerves that control your eyes.

Pediatric Brain Surgery Recovery

A tube (referred to as a drain) that permits extra cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to drain from the skull may protrude from the incision where the tumor was surgically removed in the child. To allow the blood that accumulates after surgery to drain from under the scalp, more tubes may be inserted. After a few days of the childhood brain tumor treatment, the drains are normally taken out. To determine how much of the tumor has been removed, an imaging test, such as an MRI or CT scan, is often performed 1 to 3 days after the procedure. The amount of time spent recovering in the hospital varies depending on the size and location of the tumor as well as whether further treatments were administered.

Brain Surgery Benefits

Many slower-growing tumors, such as some low-grade astrocytomas, dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNETs), ependymomas, craniopharyngiomas, gangliogliomas, and meningiomas, may be controlled or cured by surgery alone or in combination with radiation therapy.

Children with tumors like anaplastic astrocytomas or glioblastomas, which have a propensity to spread into surrounding brain tissue, cannot be treated by surgery alone. However, surgery can lessen the size of the tumor that requires treatment with chemotherapy or radiation, potentially improving the outcomes of these therapies. This is one of the benefits of brain surgery. 

Additionally, some symptoms of brain tumors, particularly those brought on by increased pressure inside the skull, can be alleviated through surgery, including headaches, nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision. Additionally, when it comes to pediatric brain tumor treatment, surgery can make it simpler to manage seizures with medication.

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