LGG-40. NATURAL COURSE AND MANAGEMENT OF SMALL ASYMPTOMATIC LESION SUSPECTED OF LOW-GRADE GLIOMA IN CHILDREN

OBJECTIVE: The natural course of incidentally discovered small intracranial lesions has not been well discussed. Surgical intervention, including resection and biopsy, could be achieved if the lesion is growing. We present 13 cases with incidentally found, small non-enhancing lesions without related symptoms. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a series of 13 children with T1 hypointense and T2 hyperintense intracranial lesions less than 20 mm in diameter without enhancement. We excluded the patients with NF-1 or Tuberous sclerosis. RESULTS: Most patients underwent MRI for headache unrelated to the lesions. All cases were located supratentorially. The median age of the patients at the initial examination was 8.9 years (range, 2.2–14.6). Of these children, 2 patients (15.3%) underwent surgery because of progression on follow-up MR images. The pathological diagnosis was compatible with diffuse astrocytoma. Patients were followed for a median of 55 months (range, 11–87) and the overall survival rate was 100%. No patient experienced increase in size after 3 years of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In most patients with small intracranial lesions, the lesions remained stable and conservative management was appropriate. However, in a few cases, the lesions changed in size or quality and surgical intervention was necessary. Long-term follow-up at least 3 years is mandatory.