Management of Pineal Region Tumors

The pineal region is one of the most surgically challenging areas of the brain as it is surrounded by important structures, such as the third ventricle, the corpus callosum, the thalamus, the quadrigeminal plate of the midbrain, the cerebellum, the deep venous system, and the choroidal arteries. Pineal region tumors account for approximately 1% of intracranial tumors in the general population, and 2.5–8.5% of pediatric intracranial tumors. Among them, the most frequent histological types of pineal tumors are the following: germ cell tumors (GCTs), pineal parenchymal tumors (PPTs), gliomas and meningiomas.