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The child with a mass on its head: diagnostic and surgical strategies

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Abstract

A series of 65 pediatric patients with scalp or calvarial masses is reported on. The majority of children presented with a disfiguring or painful mass on the head. Clinical findings suggested the correct diagnosis in 39/65 cases, skull radiographs in 46/65, and CT in 49/65. Taking the combined results of clinical and radiological studies, 54/65 of the lesions were accurately diagnosed. Tumor excision was curative in 43 of 48 patients who were operated on. Most scalp and calvarial neoplasms were benign; only 5/65 children harboured a malignant lesion. There was no mortality related to surgery in the series. Surgical intervention seems to be indicated in most cases, both for diagnosis and for treatment.

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Martínez-Lage, J.F., Capel, A., Costa, T.R. et al. The child with a mass on its head: diagnostic and surgical strategies. Child's Nerv Syst 8, 247–252 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00300790

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00300790

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