This supplement to "Acta Neurochirurgica" contains a selection of papers which were presented at the 9th Scientific Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Neurosurgery on Space Occupying Lesions of the Cerebral Midline in Vienna, October 10-13,1984. This meeting was arranged at the same location where the ESPN was founded exactly seventeen years ago. Although the presentations in this meeting dealt with numerous important problems encountered in paediatric neurosurgery, the main emphasis was on that special problem which exemplifies the extraordinary advances in paediatric neurosurgery and its related fields. Therefore the main topic of this scientific meeting was dedicated to the subject of "Space Occupying Lesions of the Cerebral Midline". Recent diagnostic procedures, such as computerized axial tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, now enable the neurosurgeon preoperatively, to obtain precise data on the location, and in many cases also on the nature of a lesion deep within the brain. Fundamental new knowledge in neuroanatomy and neurotopography has now transformed previous high-risk procedures into routine ones for the neurosurgeon, and an abundance of new surgical techniques has improved the success rate in the treatment of many patients. The scientific meetings of the ESPN have proved to be a successful forum for the exchange of experiences, opinions and even critical discussions. The present selection of papers will undoubtedly support this endeavour. Wolfgang T. Koos Gerhard Pendl Contents A. Statistics Koos, Wo To, Horaczek, Ao: Statistics of Intracranial Midline Tumors in Children 0 1 B.

Inhalt
A. Statistics.- Statistics of Intracranial Midline Tumors in Children.- B. Anatomy.- Anatomy of the Midline.- C. Pathology.- Pathology of Midline Brain Tumors.- D. Approaches.- Problems of Surgical Technique for the Treatment of Supratentorial Midline Tumors in Children.- Operative Approaches to Midline Tumors.- Approaches to the Pineal Region.- E. Diagnosis.- Diagnosis of Lesions in the Third Ventricle.- Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Midline Pediatric Cerebral Neoplasms.- Neuroimaging of Mass Lesions of the Pineal Region in Infancy and Childhood.- CT Stereotactic Biopsy for Optimizing the Therapy of Intracranial Processes.- F. Lateral and Third Ventricle.- Supratentorial Intraventricular Tumors in Childhood.- Primary Cystic Midline Lesions of the Brain in Childhood.- Possibilities and Limits of the Midline Interhemispheric Approach.- Surgical Treatment of Intraventricular Meningiomas in Childhood.- Supratentorial Astrocytomas of the Midline in ChildhoodA Review of Treatment and Prognosis.- G. Sella.- Microsurgical Topography of Craniopharyngiomas.- Neurosurgical Treatment of Cushing's Disease in Children and Adolescents.- Gliomas of Visual Pathways and Hypothalamus in ChildrenA Preliminary Report.- H. Pineal Region.- Surgical Aspects of Pineal Region Tumors in Children.- Surgery of Pineal Region Lesions in Childhood.- Tumors of the Pineal Region in Children and Adolescents.- I. Brain Stem.- Direct Surgical Attack on Pontine and Rhombencephalic Lesions.