The chemotherapy of posterior fossa tumors in childhood.

Conventional therapy for brain tumors, consisting of neurosurgical intervention and radiotherapy, has not resulted in the successes achievable in other childhood malignancies. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy, well defined in many childhood cancers, has not yet contributed significantly to the treatment of children with brain tumors. Chemotherapy of recurrent tumors has produced regressions but no cures.

Papillary meningioma involving the oculomotor nerve in an infant. Case report.

A 6-month-old child with an isolated oculomotor nerve palsy was found to have a papillary meningioma infiltrating the nerve along its intracranial course adjacent to the midbrain. The clinical implications of this unusual histological variant are discussed.

Efficacy of vincristine and cyclophosphamide in the therapy of recurrent medulloblastoma.

We conducted a Phase II study of combination therapy with vincristine and cyclophosphamide in the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic medulloblastoma. Fourteen patients were treated with vincristine 2 mg/m2 (2.0-mg maximal dose) by intravenous bolus on Day 1 and cyclophosphamide 1 g/m2 by intravenous infusion on Days 1 and 2, with cycles repeated every 4 weeks.

Cerebral polygyria in the Chiari Type II (Arnold-Chiari) malformation.

Abnormalities of the cerebral cortical pattern have been observed in association with the Chiari Type II malformation and described as polymicrogyria, microgyria, stenogyria or polygyria. In order to characterize and quantify these abnormalities, the sulcal patterns of the brains of 15 patients with the Chiari Type II malformation were compared with those of 10 pediatric controls without cerebral malformations. In this analysis, sulci were grouped by anatomical characteristics into three categories.

The Currarino triad: complex of anorectal malformation, sacral bony abnormality, and presacral mass.

The Currarino triad is a unique complex of congenital caudal anomalies including anorectal malformation, sacral bony abnormality, and presacral mass. The usual symptomatology is constipation due to anorectal stenosis. Contrast enema and computed tomographic myelography are the imaging modalities of choice for diagnostic confirmation and clarification of the anomalies.

Experience using two CT-guided stereotactic biopsy methods.

15 patients had intracranial CT-guided stereotactic biopsies. Biopsies were performed either with a Riechert-Mundinger stereotactic frame modified for use in the CT or by using the CT scan to establish the relationship of the intracranial lesion to identifiable bony landmarks, and subsequently performing the biopsy in a standard stereotactic frame. Both systems provided safe and accurate methods for obtaining intracranial tissue.

Learned helplessness and defensive strategies: a rejoinder.

The results of experiments reported by Oakes and Curtis (1982), Tennen, Drum, Gillen and Stanton (1982), and Tennen, Gillen, and Drum (1982) are seen as inconsistent with the cognitive learned helplessness theory of Seligman and his associates (Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978; Alloy & Seligman, 1979). Comments on the Oakes and Curtis studies by Alloy (1982) and by Silver, Wortman, and Klos (1982) are seen as employing three defensive strategies: (1) Declaring the research findings to be irrelevant to the theory; (2) declaring the experiments to be flawed; and (3) modifying the theory to accommodate the research findings. This rejoinder argues that the research findings are relevant and that the criticisms are of questionable validity.