Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

talking to you about brain tumors. And you can find written notes on this topic at zero to

finals.com slash brain tumors or in the neurology section of the second edition of the zero to finals medicine book.

And you can find flashcards and questions to train your knowledge on this content

and help you remember the information for longer at members.0.0 tofinals.com.

So let's get straight into it.

Brain tumors range from benign, for example,

meningiomas, to highly malignant, for example, glioblastomas. Let's start with the presentation.

Brain tumors may be asymptomatic with no symptoms, particularly when they're small.

As they grow, they present with progressive, focal neurological symptoms, meaning signs and symptoms of the nervous system in specific areas, depending on the location of the lesion.

Brain tumors often present with signs and symptoms of raised intracranial pressure,

high pressure within the skull.

And this is also called intracranial hypertension.

A growing tumor takes up space within the skull,

leaving less space for the other contents,

such as the cerebrospinal fluid, and this causes a rise in pressure within the skull.

A tom tip for you, a common exam scenario is an unusual change in personality or behavior,

which indicates a frontal lobe tumor. The frontal lobe of the brain is responsible for personality and higher level decision making, so a tumor in this area affects

personality and behavior. Let's talk in more detail about intracranial hypertension.

The causes of raised pressure in the intracranial space include brain tumours,

intracranial hemorrhage or bleeding, idiopathic intracranial hypertension,

and abscesses or infection.

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