The application of the Zülch classification system to childhood brain tumors was criticized because it did not differentiate the cellular polymorphism common in childhood tumors from that occurring in adult CNS tumors. Furthermore, it did not specify location as a prognostic criterion, and it considered a tumor as benign or malignant instead of using the term anaplasia. Lastly, it used the term “poorly differentiated” for certain tumor types that neuropathologists felt should have been called “primitive” because of their histogenesis.
| Categories | Subcategories |
| Neuroepithelial tumors | |
| Medulloblastomas | |
| Gliomas | |
| Paragliomas | |
| Gangliocytomas | |
| Mesodermal tumors | |
| Ectodermal tumors | |
| Congenital and embryonic tumors | |
| Vascular malformations and blood vessel tumors | |
| Other space-occupying processes |
Adapted from Zülch (28)