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Time to diagnosis of brain tumors in children: A single‐centre experience
Author(s) -
Molineus Anja,
Boxberger Nicole,
Redlich Antje,
Vorwerk Peter
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1111/ped.12095
Subject(s) - medicine , vomiting , pediatrics , retrospective cohort study , brain tumor , surgery , psychiatry
Background The aim of the study was to analyze the pre‐diagnostic symptomatic interval ( PSI ) of children with brain tumors with regard to the parental and doctor's delay and the clinical symptoms. Methods A retrospective review of all children with brain tumors diagnosed in a single centre over a period of 11 years was carried out. Results Seventy‐nine patients (35 boys, 44 girls), with a mean age of 9.2 years (0.2–23.5 years), were analyzed. PSI was 28 weeks with a parental delay of 11.1 weeks and a doctor's delay of 16.9 weeks. Main clinical symptoms were headache (66.7%), vomiting (57.7%), vision (46.2%) and gait (41.6) disorders and fatigue (41.0%) followed by other neurological signs. Conclusions Diagnosis of pediatric brain tumors is often delayed in relation to the presenting symptoms. If parents report a combination of headache with other neurological abnormalities, a brain tumor should always be considered.