Cerebellar Mutism: Surgical Perspectives

Purpose Cerebellar mutism is a type of cerebellar dysfunction that occurs most commonly in children after infratentorial tumor resection. The tumor and surgical risk factors for developing cerebellar mutism are explored, along with the mechanism of cerebellar mutism. Conclusions Well-known risk factors include midline posterior fossa location, brainstem involvement of the tumor, and medulloblastoma as the tumor type. Other risk factors have conflicting data, including blood loss, vermian incision, and tumor size. The mechanism involves injury to the dentatothalamocortical pathways bilaterally, presumably at or following surgery, although a specific necessary insult has not been established.