Clinicopathologic features and imaging findings of rare and uncommon brain embryonal tumours

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathologic features and imaging findings of several kinds of rare and uncommon brain embryonal tumours. Methods: MRI or CT appearance and clinicopathologic features in 10 cases of histopathology confirmed brain embryonal tumours were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among 10 cases, there were supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumour (sPNET) in 6, ependymoblastoma in 2, medulloepithelioma and atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumour (AT/RT) in 1 respectively. Patients in 4 eases were infancy and childhood. There was characteristic of the clinicopathologic features of tumors that were the evidence of accurate diagnosis. All lesions were located in the supratentorial region. The tumors were large, usually lobulated in shape irregularly and showed heterogeneous density or signal intensity with some cystic and necrotic areas. The tumors parenchyma appeared slightly high density on CT imaging, iso- or high signal on T2WI and slight low signal on T1WI with intense enhancement after contrast injection. Conclusion: MRI or CT findings of rare and uncommon brain embryonal tumours were not characteristic, it was very essential to know the tumors combined with the clinical and pathologic features. (authors)