Intracranial neoplasms in children in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Analysis of 89 intracranial tumors in children presenting at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, between 1960 and 1982 is reported. These tumors are commonest in the first decade of life and occur more in males than in females. Fifty-three per cent of the primary brain tumors are supratentorial. The commonest sites are cerebellum, cerebrum, and the pons. The common histological types are astrocytomas, medulloblastomas, ependymomas, and oligodendrogliomas. Craniopharyngiomas are among the most frequent supratentorial neoplasms in Ibadan children and the central nervous system involvement in cases of Burkitt's lymphoma is a frequent complication.