LAUSR

Cerebellar mutism was first described by Rekate in 1985 and has since become established as a serious well-known syndrome following posterior fossa surgery, the overwhelming majority of cases occurring in children following cerebellar tumour surgery. Many technical advances have been made since the initial recognition of the syndrome both in imaging technology, computer assisted surgical planning, surgical instruments, and surgical navigation, and it would be logical to expect that together these would reduce the incidence of CMS. The incidence of CMS is generally quoted to be 10%– 25%. Different definitions of CMS have been offered, and the lack of a clear definition of CMS in the literature is an important factor in the variably reported incidence in the literature. Preliminary results from an on-going European multicenter prospective observational study does, however, not seem to support a decreasing incidence despite these technical developments; in this study now comprising 350 children, the occurrence of CMS in the strictest definition and most severe form is 10% and applying a broader definition allowing cases with a less severe clinical picture, the incidence is 20%. The need for a comprehensive currently updated status on CMS is thus greatly needed, and this notion has prompted the accumulation of papers by leading experts into this Focus Issue of Child’s Nervous System. The current issue thus in-