Diagnosis

Tests and procedures used to diagnose ependymoma include:

• Neurological exam. During a neurological exam, your doctor will ask you about your child's signs and symptoms. He or she may check your child's vision, hearing, balance, coordination, strength and reflexes. Problems in one or more of these areas may provide clues about the part of your child's brain that could be affected by a brain tumor.
• Imaging tests. Imaging tests can help doctors determine the location and size of the brain tumor. MRI is often used to diagnose brain tumors, and it may be used along with specialized MRI imaging, such as magnetic resonance angiography. Because ependymoma can occur in both the brain and spine, imaging tests should be used to create pictures of both areas when a diagnosis of ependymoma is suspected.
• Removing cerebrospinal fluid for testing (lumbar puncture). Also called a spinal tap, this procedure involves inserting a needle between two bones in the lower spine to draw out fluid from around the spinal cord. The fluid is tested to look for tumor cells or other abnormalities.

Based on your child's test results, the doctor may suspect ependymoma and recommend surgery to remove the tumor. Once removed, the tumor cells will be tested in a laboratory to confirm the diagnosis. Specialized tests are used to determine the types of cells and their level of aggressiveness, which the doctor may use to guide treatment decisions.