Definition
Posterior fossa syndrome is characterized by a heterogeneous presentation of symptoms following cerebellar tumor resection in children. Cerebellar mutism, followed by a period of significant dysarthria is the most common aspect of this syndrome. Other well-documented symptoms include emotional lability, behavioral disturbance, and bizarre personality changes. Oropharyngeal dyspraxia, impaired initiation of complex voluntary movements, oculomotor apraxia, and psychomotor retardation have also been reported (Pollock, 2001). These symptoms normally begin 1–5 days postoperatively and typically resolve over the following months. The syndrome is thought to be attributed to lesions of the midline and vermis. Large, midline tumors that require incision of the vermis are at greatest risk for the postsurgical development of posterior fossa syndrome (Turkel et al., 2004).
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References and Readings
Pollack, I. F. (2001). Neurobehavioral abnormalities after posterior fossa surgery in children. International Review of Psychiatry, 13(4), 302–312.
Turkel, S. B., Chen, L. S., Nelson, M. D., Hyder, D. H., Gilles, F. H., Woodall, L. et al. (2004). Case series: Acute mood symptoms associated with posterior fossa lesions in children. The Journal of Clinical Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 16, 443–445.
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Tinker, J. (2011). Posterior Fossa Syndrome. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_149
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_149
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