[Oligodendroglioma of the lateral ventricle--report of 2 cases and a review].

Oligodendrogliomas rarely grow primarily in the ventricles. When compared to more common hemispheric counterparts, such intraventricular oligodendrogliomas, or oligodendrogliomas of the midline group (Martin), present distinct clinical features, namely, (1) they occur in the younger age, (2) an interval between clinical onset and diagnosis or operation is shorter, and (3) initial symptoms are most often limited to those of increased intracranial pressure, although the patient may occasionally present mild organic dementia, callosal disconnection syndrome, and/or mild gait ataxia. Two cases of oligodendroglioma primarily involving the lateral ventricle are reported in female patients, aged 29 and 19, respectively, with sole complaints of an increased intracranial pressure. Magnetic resonance imaging proved to be most useful as a radiologic diagnostic procedure. The tumor was radically removed via a para-falcine transcallosal approach without causing any persistent neurological deficits. Merit and demerit of the approach are briefly discussed.