The nervous system constitutes arguably the most complex organ system in the human body, which contributes to the over-susceptibility of disease in this area. Although brain tumors were once an automatic death sentence, the outlook for recovery has brightened significantly in the past decade. The pathologist plays an indispensable role in surgical diagnosis; he or she must accurately diagnose a potentially wide array of disease entities, determine the spread of disease within millimeters, and assess patient prognosis. This new and modern reference in neuropathology comprehensively covers all the methods used by pathologists to accurately diagnose a wide array of neurologic illnesses. Brain and spinal cord tumors are the predominant focus, but a full spectrum of infectious, inflammatory, and congenital disorders are also covered in detail, in both pediatric and adult populations, with a full range of diagnostic modalities. The book is illustrated with more than 1,200 full-color photomicrographs and accompanied by a CD-ROM of all images in a downloadable format.



Contents
1. Introduction and overview: principles and techniques
Part I. Neoplasms
Section 1. Brain Neoplasms: Subsection 1. Intrinsic Brain Tumors: 2. Gliomas: an overview
3. Diffuse fibrillary astrocytomas
4. Special types of astrocytomas
5. Oligodendroglioma
6. Mixed gliomas
7. Ependymomas
8. Neuronal and neuronal-glial tumors
9. Primitive neuroectodermal tumors
10. Primary CNS lymphomas
11. Primary CNS germ cell neoplasms
12. Hemangioblastoma
13. Choroid plexus neoplasms
14. Metastatic neoplasms in the bran parenchyma
Subsection 2. Extrinsic Brain Tumors: 15. Meningiomas
16. Nonmeningioma dural-based neoplasms
17. Dura and leptominingeal metastatic cancer
18. Tumors of intracranial peripheral nerves
19. Craniopharyngioma and Rathke's cleft cysts
20. Miscellaneous meningeal masses
21. Pituitary tumors
22. Skull-based neoplasms
Section 2. Spinal Cord Neoplasms: Subsection 1. Intrinsic Spinal Cord Tumors: 23. Intrinsic spinal cord tumors: overview
24. Ependymomas of the spinal cord
25. Other gliomas of the spinal cord
26. Miscellaneous cord tumors
Subsection 2. Extrinsic Spinal Cord Neoplasms: 27. Meningiomas and other primary dural-based tumors of the spinal cord
28. Nerve root tumors
29. Tumors of the spine
Part II. Non-Neoplastic Mass Lesions: 30. Tumefactive demyelinating disease
31. Inflammatory masses in the brain parenchyma
32. Extra-axial inflammatory/infectious lesions
33. Biopsies of cerebral infarcts
34. Extra-axial intracranial hemorrhages
35. Vascular malformations of the CNS parenchyma
Part III. Diagnostic Brain Biopsies for Non-Neoplastic Disease: 36. Biopsies for vasculitis
37. Biopsies with/for non-inflammatory vascular diseases
38. Biopsies for diagnosis of dementia
39. Biopsies for infectious diseases
Part IV. Surgical Neuropathology of Epilepsy: 40. Current procedures leading to epilepsy surgery: what the neuropathologist should know about the epilepsy work-up prior to surgery
41. Abnormalities presumably causing epilepsy
42. Effects of epilepsy manifest in resected brain tissue
43. Iatrogenic lesions
44. Special syndromes and epilepsy.