Tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) are relatively rare and an intraoperative consultation for a CNS lesion could be a nightmare for a pathologist not specialised in neuropathology. However, judicious use of radiologic data, knowledge of typical clinical presentation of particular tumor types, and a combination of frozen section and cytologic smear preparations allow for a reliable diagnosis in most cases.
Indications, aims, diagnostic algorithm and potential pitfalls in the intraoperative consultation of CNS lesions are discussed.