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The association of preeclampsia with thrombocytopenia and prolonged bleeding time is reported. The analysis of bleeding time (Simplate II) and the platelet count (Automatic Coulter Counter) in 41 patients with different grades of preeclampsia is presented. Our results suggest that the decrease in the bleeding time observed in moderate preeclampsia and the increase observed in severe preeclampsia are not mainly dependent on the platelet count.

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Parole chiave: tumori del cervelletto, tumori del quarto ventricolo, TC, RM RIASSUNTO -Sono stati rivisti gli esami TC e RM di 42 pazienti in eta pediatrica affetti da tumori del cervelletto e del quarto ventricolo. 14 erano medulloblastomi, 14 astrocitomi, 6 ependimomi, 1 subependimoma, 1 glioblastoma multicentrico, 1 emangioblastoma, 2 gangliogliomi, 2 localizzazioni secondarie, 1 gangliocitoma displastico cerebellare.Gli aspetti neuroradiologici si discostano in un significativo numero di casi da quelli descritti come classici in letteratura e pertanto si conferma la necessita di un approccio aggressivo per ottenere la diagnosi di natura e di grado di invasivita lesionale. SUMMARY -We reviewed CT and MR scans in 42 children with tumours of the cerebellum andfourth ventricle (14 medulloblastomas (34%), 14 astrocytomas (34 %), 6 ependymomas (17%), 1 subependymoma, 1 multicentric glioblastoma, 1 haemangioblastoma, 2 gangliogliomas, 2 cerebral tumour metastases, 1 dysplastic cerebellar gangliocytoma).A significant number of neuroradiological features we observed differ from literature reports. All medulloblastomas investigated by MR showed small, mainly peripheral cysts. The tumour site was above the vermis in one case and in the middle cerebellar peduncle in another. Contrast enhancement was partial and inhomogeneous in three, one of which showed massive bleeding. An extracranial m etastasis was found in one patient.Cerebellar astrocytomas presented the classic features of extrinsic cysts with mural nodule in only three cases while three were solid and eight were solid with central cystic or necrotic components.All ependymomas showed the typical tumour signal, but the subependymoma, reported in the literature as indistinguishable from ependymoma, was hypodense after contrast administration in CT scans and hyperintense in PD and T2-weighted images and hypointense in T1-weighted MR scans even after gadolinium administration. In one of our patients diagnosis of ganglioglioma was only possible at histological examination since the neuroradiological features were identical to those of a medulloblastoma.Our findings confirm that accurate diagnosis of tumour type and grade of aggressivity requires recourse to invasive procedures offering histological diagnosis.