Table 2.
Structural MRI findings and clinical characteristics among various posterior fossa neoplasms.
|
MET (n = 65) |
HB (n = 44) |
PA (n = 43) |
EP (n = 27) |
MB (n = 26) |
LGG (n = 10) |
LYM (n = 8) |
AA (n = 7) |
ATRT (n = 6) |
GBM (n = 6) |
SEP (n = 6) |
P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients' characteristics | ||||||||||||
| Age (years) | 57.6 ± 12.2 | 49.3 ± 17.9 | 18.7 ± 11.2 | 26.1 ± 20.1 | 21.8 ± 16.8 | 35.6 ± 27.9 | 63.2 ± 12.9 | 36.1 ± 23.7 | 1.3 ± 1.0 | 31.7 ± 22.3 | 50.2 ± 13.3 | <0.001 |
| Gender (male) | 18 (33%) | 19 (49%) | 11 (61%) | 2 (22%) | 3 (50%) | 2 (40%) | 1 (25%) | 2 (22%) | 3 (50%) | 2 (40%) | 1 (25%) | 0.304 |
| Tumor localization | ||||||||||||
| Cerebellar hemisphere | 54 (83%) | 39 (89%) | 18 (42%) | 3 (11%) | 9 (35%) | 5 (50%) | 6 (75%) | 1 (14%) | 2 (33%) | 4 (67%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| Fourth ventricle | 3 (5%) | 3 (7%) | 13 (30%) | 21 (78%) | 17 (65%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (13%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (67%) | 0 (0%) | 6 (100%) | <0.001 |
| Vermis/midline | 4 (6%) | 2 (5%) | 10 (23%) | 2 (7%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0.013 |
| Brainstem | 4 (6%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (5%) | 1 (4%) | 0 (0%) | 5 (50%) | 1 (13%) | 6 (86%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (33%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| Cerebellar peduncle involvement | 4 (6%) | 6 (14%) | 4 (9%) | 4 (15%) | 5 (19%) | 5 (50%) | 1 (13%) | 4 (57%) | 2 (33%) | 4 (67%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| Lesion morphology | ||||||||||||
| Predominantly solid (>80%) | 46 (71%) | 6 (14%) | 7 (16%) | 13 (48%) | 17 (65%) | 6 (60%) | 8 (100%) | 6 (86%) | 3 (50%) | 4 (67%) | 6 (100%) | <0.001 |
| Mixed solid and cystic | 6 (9%) | 12 (27%) | 20 (47%) | 14 (52%) | 9 (35%) | 4 (40%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (14%) | 3 (50%) | 1 (17%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| Cystic (>80%) with mural nodule | 4 (6%) | 26 (59%) | 15 (35%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| Necrotic with irregular wall | 9 (14%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (17%) | 0 (0%) | 0.013 |
| Enhancement pattern | ||||||||||||
| Homogenous enhancement | 16 (25%) | 39 (89%) | 8 (19%) | 0 (0%) | 5 (19%) | 0 (0%) | 5 (62%) | 1 (14%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (17%) | <0.001 |
| Heterogeneous enhancement | 49 (75%) | 5 (11%) | 35 (81%) | 26 (96%) | 20 (77%) | 6 (60%) | 3 (38%) | 4 (57%) | 6 (100%) | 5 (83%) | 5 (83%) | <0.001 |
| No enhancement | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (4%) | 1 (4%) | 4 (40%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (29%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (17%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| Extension along the neuroaxis | ||||||||||||
| Multiple lesions | 16 (25%) | 4 (9%) | 2 (5%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (8%) | 1 (10%) | 2 (25%) | 1 (14%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (33%) | 0 (0%) | 0.016 |
| Leptomeningeal drop metastasis | 5 (8%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (4%) | 1 (10%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (17%) | 0 (0%) | 0.354 |
| T2/FLAIR findings | ||||||||||||
| Prominent vascular flow voids | 2 (3%) | 25 (57%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (11%) | 6 (23%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (33%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| Surrounding FLAIR (cm) | 1.8 ± 0.9 | 1.7 ± 0.9 | 0.5 ± 0.5 | 0.4 ± 0.6 | 0.7 ± 0.6 | 0.5 ± 0.4 | 1.8 ± 0.6 | 1.0 ± 1.0 | 0.4 ± 0.3 | 1.0 ± 0.9 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | <0.001 |
| T2 hyperintense solid component* | 9 (14%) | 17 (39%) | 33 (77%) | 10 (37%) | 6 (23%) | 10 (100%) | 1 (13%) | 7 (100%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (17%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| Mass effect | ||||||||||||
| Volume (mL) | 11.4 ± 9.3 | 19.8 ± 15.5 | 29.7 ± 30.1 | 21.6 ± 18.0 | 27.4 ± 19.8 | 14.2 ± 13.8 | 10.6 ± 9.1 | 21.4 ± 12.3 | 42.8 ± 35.6 | 12 ± 9.0 | 4.8 ± 4.3 | <0.001 |
| Hydrocephalus | 22 (34%) | 23 (52%) | 27 (63%) | 20 (74%) | 19 (73%) | 5 (50%) | 2 (25%) | 4 (57%) | 5 (83%) | 2 (33%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
Results of univariate comparison between different neoplasm types.
*
A “T2 hyperintense” solid component was determined by T2 signal greater than the gray matter (13).
AA, anaplastic astrocytoma; ATRT, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors; EP, Ependymoma; GBM, glioblastoma multiforme; HB, hemangioblastoma; LGG, low-grade glioma/astrocytoma; LYM, lymphoma; MB, medulloblastoma; MET, metastasis; PA, pilocytic astrocytoma; SEP, subependymoma.
A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant, and depicted in bold.