Management and outcomes of pregnant patients with central nervous system hemangioblastoma

Publication date: Available online 24 September 2018Source: Journal of Clinical NeuroscienceAuthor(s): Xiu-jian Ma, Guo-bin Zhang, Teng-xian Guo, Cheng-bei Li, Yu-jia Chen, Li-wei Zhang, Zhen Wu, Jun-ting ZhangAbstractThe study aims to assess the management and maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancies complicated by central nervous system (CNS) hemangioblastoma. Twenty-four female patients with CNS hemangioblastoma, who were pregnant in a tumor-burden status, were identified. Their medical charts, treatments, and follow-up materials were carefully reviewed. Of the included 24 CNS patients with hemangioblastoma (14 intracranial and 10 spinal hemangioblastomas), 5 patients (20.8%) were diagnosed with Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL). The median age of these patients at admission was 27.5 years. Intracranial hypertension was a common presenting symptom for patients with intracranial hemangioblastoma and was observed in 85.7% (12/14) of cases; the other 10 patients with spinal hemangioblastomas all suffered from paresthesia. Overall, 66.7% (16/24) of patients with CNS hemangioblastoma went through the gestational course with conventional observation; 16.6% (4/24) of patients accepted a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt (VPS) to delay the tumor resection; and 16.7% (4/24) of patients needed urgent tumor resection even when symptomatic treatments were given. Variable symptom improvement was seen when patients had follow-up visits at a median of 32.5 months. No maternal death or tumo...
Source: Journal of Clinical Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research