Diagnostic value of the precentral cerebellar vein in cases of the posterior fossa tumors.

Vertebral angiography is generally considered to be of little diagnostic value in the localization of the posterior fossa tumors except for the tumors showing abnormal vasculatures, because of its several weak points as followed; (1) The branches of the vertebral and basilar arteries in the posterior fossa have numerous variations and lack constancy in their course. (2) Since the bilateral branches of the basilar artery are visualized simul taneously on the lateral view, the discrimination of every branches in rather dif ficult on films. (3) The shadows of the pyramids of the temporal bone overlapped upon the vascular branches obscure the individual course of the vessels?1,5.7 Accordingly, the pneumography was mainly used to decide the localization of the posterior fossa tumor. Recently, Huang et al (1964) described in detail the normal configuration of the veins of the posterior fossa, especially the precentral cerebellar vein. He pointed out the changes in the precentral cerebellar vein which could be overlooked in tentorial notch meningoma and chordoma. The con stancy of the course of this vein and its location which lay in the fissure between the brain stem and the cerebellum encouraged us to perform this study.