Brainstem cavernous malformations in pediatrics: case report and literature review.

Cavernous malformations have a prevalence of 0.4% to 0.8% in the population. Its symptoms are seizures, headache, and motor and cranial nerve deficits. We present the case of a 10-year-old girl with headache, right hemiparesis, ataxia, and involvement of left cranial nerves VI, VII, IX and X. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed a left pontobulbar lesion. A cavernous malformation was resected. The patient showed resolution of the symptoms one year after surgery. Cavernous malformations of the brainstem in pediatrics are infrequent; when they bleed, surgery is recommended, and in asymptomatic lesions only neurological surveillance.