1/419. craniopharyngioma of the pineal region.Craniopharyngiomas generally develop either in the suprasellar region or in both suprasellar and intrasellar regions. We report on a nontypical location of the craniopharyngioma in the pineal region. An 8-year-old boy was admitted to the department of pediatric neurosurgery in a grave condition. An MRI scan of the brain was performed after the neurological examination and revealed a large neoplasm situated in the posterior part of the III ventricle and in the pineal region, measuring 8.5x6.5x5 cm. The size of the tumor and its location meant it was occluding three ventricles, with subsequent hydrocephaly. Total removal of the tumor was carried out. Microscopic investigation of the tissue removed showed the typical structure characteristic for craniopharyngioma of the adamantinomatous type. Results of a consultation 6 months after the operation revealed that the patient was feeling well, attending school regularly and had finished the first semester with excellent results. On control MRI scan no tumor was found.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neurologic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/419. Failure to follow patients with hydrocephalus shunts can lead to death.Failure to follow patients with hydrocephalus can expose them to potentially fatal consequences. Two cases are used to illustrate this and the merits of follow-up of these patients are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.4228855385097keywords = lead (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/419. Treatment of a symptomatic posterior fossa subdural effusion in a child.We describe the first observation of a child with a posterior fossa subdural effusion with secondary hydrocephalus and tonsillar herniation. We diagnosed this entity in a 14-month-old girl with no history of trauma or coagulation disorder. The patient presented in our emergency department with opisthotonus and raised intracranial pressure resulting from supratentorial hydrocephalus. An emergency ventriculo-peritoneal shunt was placed, which resolved the symptoms only temporarily. Eventually external drainage of the subdural fluid was performed. The collection gradually disappeared, and both the external subdural shunt and the ventriculo-peritoneal shunt were removed. The patient made a complete neurological recovery. We review the physiopathology and treatment of subdural effusions in general, and propose some guidelines for the management of symptomatic effusions occurring in the posterior fossa in particular.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neurologic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/419. Psychopathologic problems in twins during childhood.Some psychopathologic problems occurring during childhood in twins are discussed from the point of view of mental health. On the basis of case history of twins affected by neurologic or psychiatric disorders some typical situations have been examined: (1) psychopathologic problems arising from perinatal death of the cotwin; (2) psychopathologic problems arising from the death of the cotwin during late childhood; (3) psychopathologic problems arising in the pair from organic or neuropsychaitric event in one of the twins; (4) psychopathologic problems of the twins due to disorders of personal identity and the interaction between the twins. The cases are analyzed from a psychodynamic point of view, in relation to the development of personality in the twins, and from a psychosocial point of view, in relation to the cultural stereotype of the twins during the socialization process and in the context of parental dynamics.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neurologic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/419. Endoscopic-guided proximal catheter placement in treatment of posterior fossa cysts.PURPOSE: Treatment of posterior fossa cysts by cystoperitoneal shunting may be complicated by a malpositioned proximal catheter located within the brainstem or cerebellum causing acute shunt malfunction or neurological deficits. We propose that proximal catheter placement from a posterior fossa approach aided by a malleable endoscope may prevent malposition and its complications. methods: We present 4 procedures we performed on 3 patients with posterior fossa cysts using a posterior fossa approach. In each case, the proximal catheter was molded along with a malleable endoscope to place the catheter parallel to the long axis of the fourth ventricle. Direct visualization during catheter placement insured an intracavitary position. RESULTS: Ultimately, the procedure was successful in all 3 patients as judged by intracavitary catheter position and decrease in cyst size on postoperative imaging. In 1 patient, revision using the same technique was required based upon suboptimal catheter position within one of numerous cystic compartments within the posterior fossa. There were no complications related to direct or indirect brainstem injury. CONCLUSIONS: Many posterior fossa cysts can be treated effectively and safely via a posterior fossa approach with the aid of a malleable endoscope. Direct visualization facilitates intracavitary catheter placement and orientation of the catheter in the long axis of the cyst, thereby decreasing the risk of injury to surrounding structures.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neurologic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/419. Globular glioma of the tectum.Brainstem gliomas are a heterogeneous group of tumors whose prognosis and treatment depend not only on the histologic features but also on the location within the brainstem. magnetic resonance imaging allows the recognition of a distinct type of brainstem glioma of the tectal region of the midbrain, leading to aqueductal compression and hydrocephalus. The radiologic appearance of these tumors is usually rather uniform, with a characteristic nonenhancing thickening of the tectal plate. Because of its protracted course, no further treatment is necessary beyond cerebrospinal fluid diversion and close clinicoradiologic follow-up. The authors report two children with tectal plate gliomas of unusual but strikingly similar appearance. They present a clinical picture suggestive of intracranial hypertension without localizing signs. Magnetic resonance images reveal hydrocephalus related to the presence of perfectly circular lesions, hypointense on T1 and hyperintense on T2, which could be mistaken for parasitic cysts or represent dilated rostral portions of the sylvian aqueduct. After the cerebrospinal fluid diversion procedures, no further treatment was given, with one of the patients being monitored for 10 years and the other for 8 months, without tumor progression. These patients demonstrate that tectal gliomas, despite sharing a good prognosis, may have various patterns of growth, leading to unusual radiologic appearances that may pose diagnostic difficulties.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.21144276925485keywords = lead (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/419. cleidocranial dysplasia with neonatal death due to central nervous system injury in utero: case report and literature review.cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD), an uncommon disorder involving membranous bones, is rarely lethal in early life. The calvaria is defective and wormian bones are present. Abnormalities of the clavicles vary in severity from a minor unilateral defect to bilateral absence. This report concerns pre- and postmortem anatomical and radiological findings in a 15-day-old female neonate with CCD. Her postnatal course was characterized by seizures and recognition of hydrocephalus during the first day of life. The calvaria was hypoplastic with numerous wormian bones. A pseudofracture of the right clavicle was present. hydrocephalus was present in the brachycephalic brain which had a severely thinned cerebral cortex. hemosiderin in the ventricular lining and marked subependymal gliosis were interpreted as evidence of old intraventricular hemorrhage that had occurred in utero. A CCD-related condition, Yunis-Varon syndrome (YVS), is noted for early lethality and for developmental and secondary abnormalities of the central nervous system. The present case only partially matches the phenotype of YVS and might represent a part of a spectrum of phenotypic variants ranging from viable CCD to lethal YVS.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 45.748514220821keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/419. Ultrasound-guided puncture of a Dandy-Walker cyst via the lateral and III ventricles.Since the dandy-walker syndrome was first described by Dandy and Blackfan, Taggart and Walker, the many variants of posterior fossa anomalies, the appropriate management of these malformations and the clinical outcome have been the subjects of controversy. Surgery of the posterior fossa with membrane excision was initially the preferred method of treatment. Unfortunately, there was a high rate of complications, and many of the patients treated in this way still needed a shunting system. Ventricular-peritoneal and/or cysto-peritoneal shunting is commonly used to treat symptomatic posterior fossa cysts of Dandy-Walker malformations and hydrocephalus. Cysto-peritoneal shunt implantation only was associated with a high rate of complications, and most patients so treated needed a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt in addition. According to the literature, combined ventriculo-peritoneal and cysto-peritoneal shunting is needed for satisfactory decompression of Dandy-Walker cyst and hydrocephalus in between 16% and 92% of cases. We report on a young patient with a Dandy-Walker malformation who needed drainage of the posterior fossa and a ventricular shunt. We decided to drain the cyst and the supratentorial ventricles via a single, especially prepared, catheter with many perforations. The catheter was inserted under ultrasound guidance. The tube was inserted from the left lateral ventricle through the foramen of Monro into the III ventricle and downwards into the cyst. Intraoperatively, an immediate decrease in the size of the cyst and the supratentorial ventricles was observed. Postoperative MRI confirmed the exact position of the catheter and sufficient drainage of the posterior fossa cyst and the ventricles. Six months later the girl was seen in our outpatient department. Clinical examination showed no neurological deficit, and MRI demonstrated sufficient drainage of the ventricles and the Dandy-Walker malformation, and in addition hypoplasia of the corpus callosum.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neurologic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/419. Postpartum cerebellar herniation in von Hippel-Lindau syndrome.PURPOSE: To describe exacerbation during pregnancy of cerebellar hemangioblastoma in von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. METHOD: Case-report. A 21-year-old woman with von Hippel-Lindau syndrome was found on routine ocular examination to have severe papilledema 1 week after giving birth. RESULTS: Immediate magnetic resonance imaging disclosed a large cerebellar cyst from hemangioblastoma causing cerebellar tonsillar herniation. Immediate neurosurgical intervention was life saving. CONCLUSION: Worsening of intracranial hemangioblastoma during pregnancy in cases of von Hippel-Lindau syndrome should be realized and periodic neurologic and ophthalmologic observation is warranted.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = neurologic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/419. hydrocephalus associated with glycogen storage disease type ii (Pompe's disease).The authors describe a case of hydrocephalus in an 8-month, 2-week-old infant who had been previously diagnosed with glycogen storage disease type ii. Cranial imaging revealed no evidence of obstruction within the ventricular system. This case adds to the central nervous system complications associated with this disorder. Several possible mechanisms for the hydrocephalus observed in this infant are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 9.1497028441642keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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