Gliomas

Signs and symptoms

Gliomas do not usually metastasize through the bloodstream, but they can spread via the cerebrospinal fluid and cause "drop metastases" to the spinal cord. Complex visual hallucinations have been described as a symptom of low-grade glioma. Children with sub-acute CNS disorders that produce cranial nerve abnormalities (especially of cranial nerve VII and the lower bulbar nerves), long-tract signs, unsteady gait secondary to spasticity, and behavioral changes are likely to have a pontine glioma, a tumor of the brainstem.