In view of the widely recognized correlation between extent of surgical resection and length of survival of children with intracranial ependymoma and the statement that total resection is more likely to be achieved in supratentorial than infratentorial primaries, we decided to review our experience with supratentorial ependymomas and the pertinent literature to verify the importance of surgery in treating this subgroup of pediatric ependymal neoplasms. Of 23 patients operated on, 12 are still alive without evidence of disease 72-357 months after surgery (mean 227, median 237 months). One girl treated by surgery alone was lost to follow-up after 234 months when she, and 7 other patients in the series, had already passed the end of the period of risk for recurrence according to Collins' law. Six surviving patients (2 with subependymoma and 4 with ependymoma) were treated by surgery alone and only 1, the oldest in the series, had to undergo a second operation for recurrence after 10 years. The idea of treating intracranial ependymoma by surgery alone was favored by eminent neurosurgeons in the past and has recently received renewed attention. This was in part the consequence of recognizing that unlike diffuse astrocytoma, in which neoplastic cells can be found up to several centimeters away from the apparent tumor borders, ependymoma has more or less well-defined margins and grows mainly by expansion. Early experience with the policy of electively deferring adjuvant therapy after radiologically controlled total resection of ependymoma seems encouraging, although postoperative MRI does not yet indicate absolute certainty. Close surveillance is recommended. The majority of ependymomas so far treated by surgery alone, with relatively good success, have been supratentorial. In conclusion, on the basis of our experience and a review of the literature we favor a change in attitude to the management of intracranial ependymomas, especially of the cerebrum, with radiologically controlled radical surgery alone followed by close surveillance with periodic MR imaging until the child passes the period of risk for recurrence according to Collins' law as the initial option. In children less than 3 years old the period of surveillance should be doubled. In case of recurrence, reoperation should be considered first, particularly for supratentorial primaries. Radiotherapy continues to be a major option in malignant ependymoma and unresectable primary or recurrent benign ependymoma.

A new method for the analysis of the diffraction of a plane wave impinging on a perfectly conducting circular cylinder in front of a generally reflecting surface is presented. The surface is characterized by its complex reflection coefficient, enabling us to treat a wide class of reflecting surfaces. The presence of the surface is taken into account by means of a suitable expansion of the reflected field in terms of cylindrical functions. The method gives the solution of the scattering problem in both the near and the far field regardless of the polarization state of the incident field. Numerical examples for dielectric interfaces are presented, and comparisons are made with results presented in the literature.

No abstract

An analytical-numerical technique for the solution of the plane-wave scattering problem by a set of dielectric cylinders embedded in a dielectric slab is presented. Scattered fields are expressed by means of expansions into cylindrical functions, and the concept of plane-wave spectrum of a cylindrical function is employed to define reflection and transmission through the planar interfaces. Multiple reflection phenomena due to the presence of a layered geometry are taken into account. Solutions can be obtained for both TM and TE polarizations and for near- and far-field regions. The numerical approach is described and the method is validated by comparison with examples given in the literature, with very good agreement. Results are presented for the scattering by a finite grid of three cylinders embedded in a slab.

We present a generalization of a method developed for treating the plane-wave scattering by a perfectly conducting circular cylinder in front of a plane surface to the case of a generic dielectric circular cylinder. Thanks to this formulation, the problem can be treated in a very efficient way for both the near and the far field, and an accurate determination of the field inside the cylinder is possible. Numerical results and comparisons with other methods are presented. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America