To explore the MR imaging characteristics of brain tumors in infants to improve the diagnosis and early treatment.

Twelve infants with brain tumors (less than 1 year old), performed surgery in our hospital from April 2008 to August 2014 and proved by pathology, were collected in our study; the clinical data and MR imaging features were reviewed retrospectively.

Among the 12 infants, 4 (33%) had tumors located at the lateral ventricle, 3 (25%) at the cerebral hemisphere, one (8.3%) at the pineal region, one (8.3%) at the suprasellar region, one (8.3%) at the cerebral convexity, one (8.3%) at the cerebellar hemisphere and one (8.3%) at the fourth ventricle. These tumors included immature teratoma (n=3), choroid plexus tumor (n=3), atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (n=2), medulloblastoma (n=1), anaplastic ependymoma (n=1), pilomyxoidastrocytomas (n=1) and infantile fibrosarcoma (n=1). Diversity of MR imaging features was found in different types of brain tumors; tumors as immature teratoma, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor and infantile fibrosarcoma showed mainly mixed signal intensity on T1-weighted images and T2-weighted images, and these tumors displayed heterogeneously enhancement at MR imaging; choroid plexus tumors and medulloblastoma showed isointenseon T1-weighted images and T2-weighted images mostly, and both had obvious enhancement; anaplastic ependymoma showed isointensity signal on T1-weighted images, slightly hyperintenseon T2-weighted images and heterogeneously enhancement; pilomyxoidastrocytomas were hypointenseon T1-weighted images, hyperintenseon T2-weighted images and homogeneous enhancement.

Immature teratomas, choroid plexus tumors and embryonal tumors are common in infants. Supratentorial tumors are mostly found. Typical features are showed in some brian tumors, but part of atypical tumors remain challenging in diagnosis. To improve diagnostic accuracy, imaging data should be accumulated in the future.

Intracranial tumor; Infant; Magnetic resonance imaging