Spontaneous intratumoral hemorrhage after ventriculoperitoneal shunting.

We report a 1 1/2-year-old child with an ependymoma in the posterior cranial fossa. As the computed tomographic scan showed evidence of marked triventricular hydrocephalus, the patient underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunting. Two hours after operation, he developed a fatal intratumoral hemorrhage. The indications and contraindications of ventricular external or internal drainage before posterior cranial fossa tumor removal are briefly discussed.