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Microsurgical resection of craniopharyngioma of the third ventricle via an improved transventricular approach.

BACKGROUND: Craniopharyngioma of the third ventricle is difficult to treat and its therapeutic regimens and operative approaches have been controversial. This study was undertaken to probe indications for microsurgical resection of craniopharyngioma of the third ventricle via an improved transventricular approach, its surgical procedures and therapeutic effects, and prevention of postoperative complications. METHODS: Fifty-one patients with craniopharyngioma of the third ventricle were treated from January 2000 to October 2004 by an improved transventricular approach for removing the tumor via the interventricular foramen, the intermedius of the septum pellucidum or choroid fissure. Symptoms and signs of the patients, and results of imaging, operation, and follow-up were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 51 patients who had received the improved transventricular resection, 4 underwent a combined approach with an entrance of the pterion. Forty patients (78.43%) underwent total resection and others subtotal resection, without an operative death. Epileptic seizures were found in 3 patients (5.88%) and subdural effusion in the operative field in 4 (7.84%). All patients showed good general conditions after operation, and follow-up for an average of 27.52 months showed relapse of the tumour in 8 patients (15.69%). CONCLUSIONS: Microsurgical resection of craniopharyngioma of the third ventricle by an improved transventricular approach has advantages of operative safety and efficacy, lower mortality and disability, and less complications.

Adolescent↗

Motor cortex stimulation.

In 1991 Tsubokawa and colleagues first published their landmark results from a series in which epidural motor cortex stimulation (MCS) was used in the treatment of eight patients with central and neuropathic pain. In ensuing studies authors have elaborated on the indications, technique, hypotheical mechanisms, and beneficial results of this treatment. Epidural MCS is effective for trigeminal neuropathy, lateral medullary and thalamic infarction, anesthesia dolorosa, postherpetic neuralgia, spinal cord injury, and limb stump pain. Postoperative outcomes are better when patients present with only mild or absent motor weakness in the region of pain and when there is pain in the trigeminal region. It is hypothesized that MCS is effective because it increases regional cerebral blood flow in the ipsilateral ventrolateral thalamus in which corticothalamic connections from the motor and premotor areas predominate. The extent of pain alleviation also correlates with the increase of blood flow in the cingulate gyrus. This suggests that stimulation reduces the suffering experienced by a patient with chronic pain. Procedure-related morbidity has included epidural hematoma, subdural effusion, gradual diminution of benefit, and painful stimulation. Although of concern, treatment-induced chronic seizure disorders have not occurred as a complication or in animal models of chronic cortical stimulation. Stimulation-induced pain relief occurs within minutes. There are no associated paresthesias or muscle contractions that confirm function. Pain relief may last for hours after electrical stimulation is discontinued. Motor cortex stimulation is an established therapy for the treatment of complex central and neuropathic pain syndromes that have proved refractory to medical treatment.

Electric Stimulation Therapy↗

Contralateral development of chronic subdural hematoma after evacuation of chronic subdural hematoma. A case report.

Contralateral acute complications such as acute epi/subdural hematomas can be encountered after evacuation of a chronic subdural hematoma, though they are rare. We found only one case of chronic subdural hematoma following the surgery for contralateral chronic subdural hematoma, have been published in English language literature. A 73-year-old male admitted to our hospital with a right-sided subdural hematoma. The subdural hematoma was evacuated through a burr-hole. A left-sided subdural higroma appeared after operation and turned into classical subdural hematoma in the course of time. After evacuation of contralateral chronic subdural hematoma, the patient recovered completely. All stages of the development of contralateral chronic subdural hematomas were shown by serial computed tomograms. It was suggested that traumatic chronic subdural hematomas develop from mostly subdural higromas. If contralateral subdural higroma is seen after surgical evacuation of a chronic subdural hematoma, the possibility of development of contralateral chronic subdural hematoma must be kept on mind.

Aged↗

[Computerized axial tomography of the skull - diagnostic possibilities and clinical results (author's transl)].

Computerized axial tomography is a new method of tissue examination with x-rays whereby a picture can be produced which is a representation of a slice of the skull. This is done by irradiating the skull from 180 or 225 incremental angles and measuring the absorption at each of these angles. Then with the aid of a computer a tomogram is produced which can be displayed on a screen. These tomograms are representations of a cross-section of the skull composed of 160 X 160 points showing the various intracranial structures with great detail. The present study demonstrates the diagnostic possibilities of the high definition matrix with reference to brain disorders in a large sample of patients for the first time. Some tumours are shown as areas of decreased absorption compared with normal brain tissue. Others, however, have been found to have higher absorption values. With glioblastomas very contrasting pictures are produced with coexistng areas of decreased, increased and similar values to brain tissue. The most important finding is the visualization of brain oedema which appears as a low density area. A grading system of brain oedemas is proposed. The brain oedema associated with tumours has been found to propagate mainly in the white matter producing finger-like shapes. Out of 209 intracranial tumours 203 were recognized in the plain scan, a further five after contrast enhancement. In patients who have suffered from a stroke the differentiation between haemorrhage and infarction is made simple due to the contrasting appearance between the two types of lesion. Location, size and propagation direction of a haematoma as well as rupture of a haemorrhage into the ventricular system can be defined exactly. With brain infarction the hypoxically damaged tissue is well delineated and readily attributable to a given vascular area. In head injuries, for the first time it is possible to differentiate brain contusion with oedema from intracerebral haematoma. Coup and contre-coup are demonstrated. All types of acute intracranial haematomas may be diagnosed easily. With chronic subdural haematomas the new method fails if the contents of the haematoma shows the same absorption values as brain tissue. Late sequelae of head trauma such as contusion defects and necrosis of tissue after oedema can be seen in the tomogram. With infantile hydrocephalus, subdural effusions and malformations of the brain, computerized axial tomography offers a complete diagnosis so that other invasive, neuroradiological investigations may be avoided. Orbital tumors are picked out with great clarity. The high definition matrix allows the demonstration of the optic nerve, the lense and the suspension of the eyeball. Without doubt in the coming years computerized axial tomography will play a dominant role in the diagnosis of brain disorders.

Absorption↗

[CT and 123I-IMP SPECT findings of head injuries with hyponatremia].

CT and SPECT findings were examined and the relationship between development of hyponatremia and lesions was studied in cases who developed hyponatremia following head injury. Six cases of hyponatremia after head injury in the last two years were used as the subjects. SPECT was performed by the 123I-IMP intravenous injection method using Tomomatic 64. Slice 2 of 4 to 6 cm on the OM line in the early image was used as the subject site. The data of development of hyponatremia was 5.8 patients days, duration 9.2 days, minimum serum Na level 117.2 mEq/l and minimum plasma osmotic pressure 247.6 mOsm/lH2O. CT findings in the hyponatremic stage showed frontal subdural effusion in all the cases. SPECT findings revealed a decrease of CBF in the frontal region on both sides and in the central region. CBF in the central region also tended to improve at a time when hyponatremia improved. In hyponatremia after head injury, lesions are often found in the frontal region on CT, and CBF in the central region is also decreased bilaterally on SPECT, which is presumed to be concerned with the development of hyponatremia.

Adult↗

[Herpes simplex encephalitis in childhood].

This is a report on diagnostic and therapeutic experience in 6 patients aged 3 weeks to 6.3 years suffering from herpes simplex encephalitis. In 2 patients, a 3-week-old newborn and a 1.3-year-old boy, acyclovir-therapy started at days 8 and 17 respectively, following the demonstration of hemorrhagic necrosis in the brain by cranial CT-scan and IgM-specific HSV-antibodies in the blood. A 6.3-year-old girl was treated with acyclovir at day 10 of her illness, when cCT showed hemorrhagic necrosis in the brain. It was not before the 21st day, that diagnosis of HSE could be confirmed serologically. She suffered a relapse of encephalitis 5 weeks later. In a 3-month-old boy, treated with acyclovir at day 4 of his illness, IgM-specific HSV-antibodies were found already at day 4. His clinical course was complicated by subdural effusion. These 4 children survived with severe neurologic sequelae. Another 2 patients, a 5- and 7.5-month-old boy respectively, survived without apparent defect. In both cases vesicles upon the tongue appeared in the beginning of illness. Acyclovir-therapy started at day 7, diagnosis being confirmed serologically later. In our experience HSE should be suspected in children suffering from fever, drowsiness and focal or secondarily generalizing seizures. In these cases antiviral therapy should not depend on serologic findings.

Acyclovir↗

[Reduction of antibiotic treatment of bacterial meningitis in children. Value of C-reactive protein monitoring].

The duration of antibiotic treatment of bacterial meningitis is always a topical issue. In our study (58 children), 21 of 24 meningococcal meningitis were treated for 4 or 5 days, 16 of 22 Haemophilus influenzae and 4 of 6 pneumococcal meningitis were treated for 7 days without increase in neurologic sequelae. A return of blood CRP levels to normal values was observed in all these patients simultaneously. Thus, CRP seems to be a good biological parameter for discussing treatment discontinuation. Furthermore, in some complications such as subdural effusion, a new increase of CRP levels was observed after the 5th day. A sequential follow-up of CRP levels at days J0, 5, 7, 10, seems a very useful tool for management of bacterial meningitis.

Adolescent↗

[Bacterial meningitis in neonates].

A retrospective study of the clinical features and management of 27 newborns with meningitis is presented. All were treated in the China Medical College Hospital between July 1981 and July 1988. Seven were premature and twenty were full term. There were 11 males and 16 females. Five infants had low birth weight (less than 2500 g) and 12 cases were diagnosed in the first week of life (early onset). E.coli was the predominant pathogen. The most common presenting manifestations were nonspecific in nature-fever, poor feeding, respiratory distress and poor activity, etc... Six patients died during the period of acute illness and the case fatality rate was 22.2%. Of the 21 patients who survived, six had sequelae (four hydrocephalus, one subdural effusion, one microcephaly), giving an over-all rate of 19 percent in the survivors. The presence of gram-negative bacterial infection and high protein content in CSF correlated significantly with the higher mortality rate.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

[Ventriculoperitoneal shunts with the use of pressure-adjustable valve in the management of hydrocephalus].

Sixteen patients with hydrocephalus of varied etiology who underwent ventriculo-peritoneal shunts utilizing pressure-adjustable valves were reviewed, and the usefulness of the pressure-adjustable valve in the management of hydrocephalus was evaluated. Before shunting all patients had CT evidence of hydrocephalus with Evans' Index greater than 30%. High-, medium- and low-pressure settings were chosen in 3, 11 and 2 patients respectively, according to the CSF pressure as measured during lumber puncture or ventricular drainage. Following the shunting procedures with programmable pressure valves, hydrocephalus was alleviated with Evans' Index being 27% on the average, as evaluated by CT scans. Such clinical symptoms as disturbed consciousness, dementia and increased intracranial pressure all subsided. There were no mortality, infection or revision during the follow-up period of 5 to 16 months. Of particular note was that, among these 16 cases, there were three illustrative cases in which programmable pressure valves were found useful in coping with newly developed subdural effusion and low-intracranial-pressure syndrome, by manually adjusting the valves to higher pressure settings.

Adult↗

Ultrasonic evaluation of complicated meningitis.

Sixty children of proven meningitis and with clinical suspicion of its complications and open fontanelle were evaluated by real time ultrasound. Twenty of these patients had normal ultrasound findings while 40 showed varied sonographic features suggesting complications of meningitis, e.g., ventricular dilatation, pus in the ventricles, increased periventricular echogenicity, brain abscess, subdural effusion, porencephalic cysts, etc. Ultrasound is very useful in the diagnosis and serial follow up of these complications.

Bacterial Infections↗

Delayed cerebrospinal fluid sterilization and adverse outcome of bacterial meningitis in infants and children.

To determine the clinical importance of CSF cultures that are persistently positive for pathogens in patients treated for meningitis with the new cephalosporins, the records of 301 infants and children with bacterial meningitis enrolled prospectively in four clinical efficacy trials of cefuroxime or ceftriaxone therapy were reviewed. CSF culture results were positive for 20 patients and they were sterile at 18 to 36 hours after start of therapy for 281 patients. Seizures, subdural effusions, and hemiparesis were found significantly more often during hospitalization in those with delayed sterilization of CSF. Children with persistently positive cultures had a significantly higher incidence of neurologic abnormalities at the time of hospital discharge (45% v 19%) and at follow-up (41% v 13%) and of moderate to profound hearing impairment (35% v 15%) than did those with prompt sterilization of CSF. Repeat CSF examination is a useful prognostic indicator in infants and young children with bacterial meningitis.

Bacteria↗

Meningitis due to Haemophilus influenzae other than type b: case report and review.

A 4-month-old female infant with meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae type f had a hospital course complicated by sterile subdural effusions and persistent neurologic abnormalities. One year later she was normal in all respects. The infant's mother had serum bactericidal antibodies to H. influenzae type b but not to type f. During recovery the patient had no bactericidal antibodies to type b, and the type f organism could not be maintained in her serum. Review of the literature identified 40 cases of meningitis reported as caused by H. influenzae other than type b. An evaluation of the ten cases described as due to encapsulated strains (a, e, and f) shows that the age distribution and clinical features are similar to those of meningitis caused by type b. Only five cases of meningitis caused by unencapsulated H. influenzae have been described. Four of the patients were older than the usual age range for type b meningitis and two had prior head trauma. A large clinical trial in Finland with a two-year observation period has demonstrated no untoward increase in non-b H. influenzae meningitis in recipients of a type b vaccine. Serious infections caused by other H. influenzae types will continue to occur sporadically and may increase in frequency when an effective vaccine against type b is widely used in infants.

Age Factors↗

[Postinfectious thrombocytosis as an acute phase reaction: the example of Haemophilus influenzae meningitis].

The postinfectious thrombocytosis occurring in 11 children with Haemophilus influenzae meningitis and/or septicaemia shows regular progress. The rise of thrombocyte concentrations starts around the 5th day after onset of antibiotic therapy, reaches values above 500,000/microliter between the 9th and 12th day, and relapses afterwards to normal values, which are reached around the 20th day. The range of thrombocytosis is influenced by the severity and complications (subdural effusions, secondary infection) of the infection as well as by the age of the patient. An inverse course of serum concentrations of C-reactive protein and thrombocyte concentrations points to the influence of this humoral reaction on the thrombocytic acute phase reaction.

Acute-Phase Reaction↗

[Suppurated pneumococcal meningitis in infants and children: complications and prognostic factors].

This paper investigates 21 patients (16 infants and 5 children) with Pneumococcal meningitis, 15 of which presented with a severe form. Intracranial pressure (IP) monitoring was performed in 7 patients who all had severe (4) or mild (3) intracranial hypertension (IH). Twelve children had a favourable outcome, 7 had sequelae (3 severe) and 2 died from coning, one before monitoring, the second after exhibiting the highest IP and the lowest cerebral perfusion pressure of the series. The 3 children with severe sequelae had a severe form (2) or a mild but prolonged form (1) of IH. The 4 patients who recovered with moderate sequelae presented severe (1), mild IH (1) or were not monitored (2). There were 14 cases with neurological complications. In 8 patients, this seemed to be related to cerebral oedema and IH; coning caused the death of 2 of them; the 6 others exhibited lesions of cerebral oedema on CT-scan, isolated or associated with cerebral infarction or subdural effusion. In the 6 others patients, IP monitoring was not performed; there was no evidence of cerebral oedema on CT-scan; 2 exhibited cerebral infarction and 3 a moderate ventricular dilatation; 2 had hemodynamic problems from acute pneumococcemia in one case and neurovegetative disturbances associated with cerebral infarction in the second. Pneumococcus meningitis remains a severe disease. The prognosis of severe forms can be improved by IP monitoring since IH seems to be the most frequent mechanism of complication.

Brain Edema↗

Intracranial sonography in infancy.

Neonates and older infants were subjected to sonography through the anterior fontanelle with grey-scale compound scanner. The patients were referred to us from neurosurgery or showed clinical symptoms of perinatal CNS damage (ventricular or intracerebral haemorrhage, subdural effusion, etc.) or malformations (meningomyelocele, encephalocele, cystic brain, cerebral dysgenesis, etc.). Sonography is the simplest non-invasive diagnostic method to exclude suspected hydrocephalus in cases of macrocephalus, or when the head of premature infants grows more rapidly than the rest of the body. When screening showed alterations, sonography was performed weekly or fortnightly according to the extent of deviation from the normal. In cases of progressive hydrocephalus, when shunt surgery was indicated, ultrasound was used to monitor the operation of the shunt. In early age, ultrasound is a tool equal in value to CT, but is far less expensive and the examination can safely be repeated at any time.

Brain↗

[Epidermoid of the third ventricle--report of a case].

A rare case of epidermoid of the third ventricle was experienced. The patient was a fifteen years old boy, who had been hospitalized four years earlier due to acute hydrocephalus. The ventriculography at that time revealed a large cystic tumor containing heterogeneous mass filling the entire third ventricle, which seemed to be a dermoid or epidermoid. Ventricular drainage and ventriculo-peritoneal shunt were performed and he was discharged one month later without any complaint. On February 10th 1983, he was re-admitted with severe headache, nausea and showing markedly increased intracranial pressure and right hemianopsia. Computerized tomography scans demonstrated a large round low density mass in the entire third ventricle extending into the prepontine cistern. Radical operation was performed by the anterior transcallosal approach. After dissecting the interhemispheric fissure, a longitudinal incision about 15 mm long was made in the anterior part of the corpus callosum and the tumor was removed. Mild diabetes insipidus and subdural effusion appeared postoperatively. The patient was discharged on April 7th with right hemianopsia and returned to school. The anterior transcallosal approach seemed to be a good operative procedure in such large third ventricle tumor cases since it allowed excellent exposure of the third ventricle and minimized postoperative neurological deficits.

Adolescent↗