Advantages of MRI in the Surgical Strategy for Brain Stem Tumors

Space-occupying lesions of the brain stem may be documented by CT investigations. More detailed information on their location and extent can be acquired by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (1, 6). Strategy and operative risk can be better estimated when one knows the growth characteristics, whether cystic or exophytic tumor portions are present, and the relation of the tumor to surrounding structures (3, 7).