Imaging of common adult and pediatric primary brain tumors.

p n a he primary goals of brain tumor imaging are lesion detection, localization, delineation of extent, and characerization. This information is used to formulate an approprite differential diagnosis that is extremely helpful for the eferring neuro-surgeons and the neuro-oncologists.1,2 In adition, imaging studies play a vital role in therapy planning, uch as stereotactic location for surgery or radiotherapy, and ssessing response to therapy.3 This article discusses the imaging characteristics of several ommon pediatric and adult primary central nervous system CNS) tumors. The review will focus on the initial imaging iagnostic workup and will give a useful radiological aproach based on age, localization, imaging characteristics, nd relative frequency of brain tumors. Advanced magnetic esonance (MR) techniques including spectroscopy and perusion can provide additional information of brain tumors. hese techniques will be discussed separately in this suppleent.