Role of surgery in brainstem gliomas.

For a pediatric neurosurgeon, one of the most frustrating experiences is managing a child with brainstem glioma. With a median survival of less than 12 months, these children are often managed with radiation therapy and sometimes with chemotherapy. Most tumors in the pediatric population are of diffuse variety (60-75% of the brainstem tumors) occurring in the pons and only a selective percentage are focal in nature.