Choroid plexus carcinoma in an infant.

Choroid plexus carcinoma is a rare tumor and has a strong tendency to spread along the cerebrospinal fluid pathway. The tumor frequently occurs in infants. Radiation therapy is not indicated in infants and the response of this tumor to chemotherapy is variable. Therefore, surgical removal plays a major role in the management of this tumor, especially in infants. A 2-month-old girl with an acute communicating hydrocephalus was presented. Through the left posterior parietal transcortical approach, a choroid plexus carcinoma which had poor demarcation from the posterior thalamus and the medial wall of the lateral ventricle was subtotally (> 95%) removed. Postoperatively a ventriculoperitoneal shunt was inserted. Chemotherapy was refused. Magnetic resonance imaging taken at 11 months after surgery showed multiple intracranial seeding of the tumor. She was in a bed-ridden state. This case revealed the aggressive behaviour of choroid plexus carcinoma in an infant and the dismal result of subtotal removal alone, though it is rather radical.