General Approach and Differential Diagnosis Clinical and Neuroimaging Variables The interpretation of routine H&E-stained sections and immunohistochemistry from CNS lesions can be difficult and risky when performed outside of the…

Intraoperative Consultation Intraoperative neuropathology consultation can be a significant source of anxiety to the general surgical pathologist who covers only an occasional neurosurgical specimen, particularly early in one’s career. It…

Metastases Clinical Context Metastases are the most common tumors in the central nervous system (CNS), accounting for more lesions than all primary tumors combined (1), and affecting just over half…

Select Tumors of Indeterminate or Mesenchymal Differentiation Hemangioblastoma (Who Grade I) Clinical Context Hemangioblastomas are among the small group of central nervous system (CNS) tumors that often occur in the…

Hematolymphoid Neoplasms Primary CNS Lymphoma Although primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) technically includes any lymphocytic neoplasms restricted to the central nervous system (CNS), the term is usually understood to…

Germ Cell Tumors Clinical Context Extragonadal germ cell neoplasms are uncommon in the central nervous system (CNS), accounting for less than 1% of all primary CNS tumors in the United…

Vascular Malformations and Other Select Vascular Lesions Arteriovenous Malformation Clinical Context Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are congenital vascular abnormalities that typically present between the ages of 20 and 40 years with…

Cranial and Spinal Nerve Sheath Tumors Schwannoma Clinical Context A large number of neurosurgical specimens originate outside of the central nervous system (CNS) proper from the perineural cells of the…

Tumors of the Pineal Region Pineocytoma (WHO Grade I), Pineal Parenchymal Tumor of Intermediate Differentiation (WHO Grade II to III), and Pineoblastoma (WHO Grade IV) Pineal parenchymal tumors occupy a…