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DIAGNOSIS AN13 MANAGEMENT OF BRAIN TUMOURS AT JOS UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL. NIGERIA

G.0. IGUN

Abstract


Objective: To report on the incidence of brain tumours in Jos Plateau of Nigeria and to
highlight areas of interest regarding diagnosis, management and outcome.
Design: A retrospective study.
Setting: Jos tlniversity Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos. Nigeria.
Subjects: Thirty patients with brain tumours.
Interverztions: Specific management of primary lesions was carried out in cases of metastatic
brain tumours. Steroids were administered in one case of cerebellar oligodendroma.
Craniotomy and excision was achieved in two cases of meningioma and two of sarcoma.
Palliative excision was employed in another two cases of meningioma. Two cases each of
pituitary adenomas were managed by craniotomy and excision and trans-nasal transsphenoidal
excision.
Results: Braill tumorlrs ranked third in frequency relativr! to other tumours. The relative
frequency of different histological types in percentages were: metastatic (30%), anterior
pituitary (21C;; ),meningeal (18'6 ). neuroepithelial(l5%) and nerve-sheath (6%). The mean
age of presentation was 33 years. The three commonest clinical features in percentages
included headaches (43%7), cranial masses (39%) and visual defects (26%). Eighty three per
cent of the total number of patients died within three weeks to one year irrespective of
management modality employed. Two patients who had transnasal excision of pituitary
tunlours ;lbro:ldare, however. well and alive at oneand two years post-operation respectively.
Conclusion: In this study, roentgenograms of the skull had a diagnostic value of 76% for
tumours of meningeal oriigin and pituitary adenomas. CT scan is the mainstay for diagnosis
of brain tumours. The outco~iie was poor with a mortality of 83%.

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