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Optic pathway glioma

INTRODUCTION

Optic pathway gliomas (OPG) (also referred to as optic gliomas) are low-grade astrocytic tumors that occur in the optic nerve, chiasm, or both. (See "Classification, diagnosis, and natural history of low-grade glioma" and "Classification of brain tumors".)

The classification, diagnosis, natural history, and management of OPGs will be reviewed here.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

Optic pathway gliomas account for approximately 2 percent of cerebral gliomas. They are typically slow-growing neoplasms that occur mainly in children, with 90 percent diagnosed before the age of 20 and 75 percent before the age of 10 [1].

CLASSIFICATION

Optic pathway gliomas (OPGs) are classified by anatomic location and by whether or not they are associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1, von Recklinghausen's disease).

Location — Low-grade gliomas may involve the anterior visual pathway of the optic nerve (25 to 35 percent of cases) or the posterior visual pathways (chiasmal and postchiasmal).
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