The Role of Neuroimaging in Congenital Abnormalities of the Posterior Fossa

The evaluation of the posterior fossa has gained significant pace and importance in the last 20 years based on the successful progress in neuroimaging. Nowadays, conventional and advanced neuroimaging techniques allow a detailed evaluation of the complex anatomical structures within the compact posterior fossa. A wide spectrum of congenital abnormalities including malformations and disruptions has been shown. Neuroimaging is mandatory for the diagnosis of congenital abnormalities of the posterior fossa. Welldefined diagnostic criteria based on neuroimaging findings are available for the different disorders. Familiarity with the spectrum of congenital posterior fossa anomalies and their diagnostic criteria is mandatory for an accurate evaluation. An accurate and up-to-date classification is important for therapy, prognosis, and genetic counseling of the affected children and their families. In addition, neuroimaging provides useful information in elucidating the pathogenesis, establishing a phenotype (neuroimaging-) genotype correlation, and predicting the neurological outcome.