Endoscopic third ventriculostomy in the treatment of hydrocephalus: A 20-year retrospective analysis of 209 consecutive cases.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) has been shown to be a sufficient alternative to shunts in surgical treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus. Long-term failure, age limitations, and outcome by cause are some of the issues debated in literature. The objective of this article is to analyze the clinical success and failure of ETV and its main complications. METHODS: A total of 209 patients with hydrocephalus were submitted to ETV, including a mixed population of children and adults (from 0 to 59 years). Patients were divided into five groups: A - tumors, B - aqueductal stenosis, C - myelomeningocele, D - infection and hemorrhage, and E - arachnoid cyst. Variables were analyzed: age, ETV success rate, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula, mortality, and complications. RESULTS: The two main causes of hydrocephalus were tumors (44.9%) and aqueductal stenosis (25.3%). The overall success rate was of 82.8%, and patients in Group E had the highest rate 90.9%. Group A had a success rate of 89.3%, and Group B had a rate of 88.6%. The ETV success rate was significantly higher in patients older than 1 year (P < 0.001); the former also had a lower risk of CSF fistula (P < 0.0001). The overall mortality rate was 2.8%. CONCLUSION: Better results were observed in the groups of patients with tumors, aqueductal stenosis, and arachnoid cysts, while those whose primary causes of hydrocephalus were myelomeningocele, infections, or bleeding had higher rates of failure after the procedure. This study demonstrated that age under 1 year and hydrocephalus caused by myelomeningocele, bleeding, and infection were considered independent risk factors of poor prognosis in ETV.

Increase of the clivus-canal angle in patients with basilar invagination, without atlantoaxial displacement, treated with a simple maneuver of indirect decompression of the odontoid with the head clamp, during posterior occipitocervical arthrodesis.

BACKGROUND: Basilar invagination (BI) can be defined as the insinuation of the content of the craniovertebral junction through the foramen magnum toward the posterior fossa. BI is a prevalent condition in Northeast Brazil. The present study describes the changes in the clivus-canal angle (CCA) in the postoperative period in patients with symptomatic BI operated by a posterior approach, using a simple technique of indirect reduction of the odontoid associated with occipitocervical fixation. METHODS: Patients underwent radiological evaluations by magnetic resonance imaging in the pre and postoperative periods, where the height of the odontoid tip was measured in relation to the Chamberlain line and the ACC. All patients underwent posterior occipitocervical fixation with specific maneuvers of distraction and extension of the cephalic segment with the aid of a head clamp with three fixation points for anterior reduction of the odontoid. RESULTS: Among the 8 patients evaluated in the series, all had increased ACC in the postoperative period, with a mean of 14.81 ± 1.54°, and statistically significant difference between the pre and postoperative periods (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The indirect surgical reduction of the odontoid process by a posterior approach through the manipulation (distraction-extension) of a "Mayfield" type of head clamp followed by occipitocervical fixation proved to be effective in improving the ACC, being easily reproducible.

Comparative study between minimally invasive supraorbital craniotomy and pterional craniotomy for treating anterior circulation cerebral aneurysms in a low-resource setting.

The challenges encountered in performing minimally invasive approaches, such as supraorbital minicraniotomy (SOMC), in services without adequate equipment are rarely reported in the literature. This study analyzes the viability of SOMC in the treatment of cerebral aneurysms, using exactly the same resources as pterional craniotomy (PC). The results of these two techniques are compared. 35 patients underwent SOMC, compared to 50 patients underwent CP (100 aneurysms in total), using the same microsurgical instruments. The following variables were compared: operative time, angiographic cure, length of intensive care unit stay during the post-operative period, surgical complications, length of hospital stay after surgery until hospital discharge, intraoperative aneurysm rupture, aesthetic satisfaction with the scar, and neurological status at discharge. SOMC had a significantly shorter operative time in relation to PC (213.9 ± 11.09 min and 268.6 ± 15.44 min, respectively) (p = 0.0081).With respect to the cosmetic parameters assessed by the Visual Analog Scale, the average for SOMC was 94.12 ± 1.92 points, and the average for PC was 83.57 ± 4.75 points (p = 0.036). SOMC was as effective as PC in relation to successful aneurysm clipping (p = 0.77). The SOMC technique did not show advantages over PC in any other variable. Even in a general neurosurgery service lacking a specific structure for minimally invasive surgeries, SOMC was feasible and effective for treating intracranial aneurysms, using the same set of microsurgical instruments used for PC, obtaining better results in operating time and cosmetic satisfaction.

Neurological manifestations of COVID-19 and other coronaviruses: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the main neurological manifestations related to coronavirus infection in humans. METHODOLOGY: A systematic review was conducted regarding clinical studies on cases that had neurological manifestations associated with COVID-19 and other coronaviruses. The search was carried out in the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and LILACS with the following keywords: "coronavirus" or "Sars-CoV-2" or "COVID-19" and "neurologic manifestations" or "neurological symptoms" or "meningitis" or "encephalitis" or "encephalopathy," following the Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. RESULTS: Seven studies were included. Neurological alterations after CoV infection may vary from 17.3% to 36.4% and, in the pediatric age range, encephalitis may be as frequent as respiratory disorders, affecting 11 % and 12 % of patients, respectively. The Investigation included 409 patients diagnosed with CoV infection who presented neurological symptoms, with median age range varying from 3 to 62 years. The main neurological alterations were headache (69; 16.8 %), dizziness (57, 13.9 %), altered consciousness (46; 11.2 %), vomiting (26; 6.3 %), epileptic crises (7; 1.7 %), neuralgia (5; 1.2 %), and ataxia (3; 0.7 %). The main presumed diagnoses were acute viral meningitis/encephalitis in 25 (6.1 %) patients, hypoxic encephalopathy in 23 (5.6 %) patients, acute cerebrovascular disease in 6 (1.4 %) patients, 1 (0.2 %) patient with possible acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, 1 (0.2 %) patient with acute necrotizing hemorrhagic encephalopathy, and 2 (1.4 %) patients with CoV related to Guillain-Barré syndrome. CONCLUSION: Coronaviruses have important neurotropic potential and they cause neurological alterations that range from mild to severe. The main neurological manifestations found were headache, dizziness and altered consciousness.

Trigone ventricular meningiomas: Is it possible to achieve good results even in the absence of high tech tools?

BACKGROUND: Intraventricular meningiomas constitute 2% of intracranial meningiomas, representing a challenging disease for neurosurgeons; we report our experience through a case series, emphasizing surgical approaches and results. METHODS: Between 2009 and 2012, four patients underwent microsurgical resection in our department. Clinical and imaging findings, surgical approaches, outcomes, and follow-up were analyzed. RESULTS: Four patients (three females and one male) were included and the signs of intracranial hypertension were the main clinical presentation in all cases. The parietal approach through intraparietal sulcus was performed in 3 cases and parieto-occipital interhemispheric surgical route in 1 case. Gross total resection was achieved in all the patients without additional deficits and without the aid of neuronavigation, intraoperative monitoring, and intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSION: Gross total resection is the gold standard treatment for such tumors and the intraparietal sulcus approach is an excellent choice for most of the cases. Careful anatomical knowledge contributes to a safer procedure even in the absence of high tech equipment assistance.

Approaches to the third ventricle / Acessos ao terceiro ventrículo

The authors review the main technical approaches to the third ventricle, the most common surgical indications and their results. The traditional open techniques are characterized by low rate of residual lesion and risk, although low, epilepsy postoperatively. Endoscopic techniques has gained wide acceptance by patients and neurosurgeons because of the low rates of complications and reduced hospital stay, however one still observes a higher rate of residual lesions, even asymptomatic. All the techniques mentioned have excellent results for surgical approaches to the third ventricle. We observe that the choice of technique will depend mainly on the familiarity of the surgeon and his service with each of these techniques.

Os autores revisaram as principais formas de abordagem do terceiro ventrículo, as indicações cirúrgicas mais comuns e seus resultados. As técnicas abertas tradicionais são caracterizadas pelo baixo índice de lesões residuais e baixo risco de epilepsia pós-operatória. As técnicas endoscópicas têm ganhado espaço pelas baixas taxas de complicações e redução de dias de internamento, apesar de taxas maiores de lesões residuais, mesmo assintomáticas. Todas as técnicas mencionadas para os acessos ao terceiro ventrículo têm excelentes resultados. Observamos que a escolha da técnica utilizada dependerá, principalmente, da familiaridade do cirurgião e do seu serviço com cada uma delas.

Meningioma intramedular cervical: relato de caso e revisão da literatura / Intramedullary cervical meningioma: a case report and literature review

Os meningiomas estão entre os tumores benignos mais comuns do canal espinhal, em adultos, encontrados, predominantemente, nos segmentos torácicos. Segundo a literatura, a ocorrência de um meningioma intramedular cervical é muito rara, com apenas oito trabalhos científicos relatados até o momento. Apresentaremos o nono relato de caso ? talvez o primeiro relato publicado na literatura médica brasileira ? e revisaremos os estudos anteriores. Paciente, de 40 anos de idade, iniciou com sintomas de fraqueza na mão direita e dores cervicais que se agravavam durante a noite. A ressonância magnética revelou lesão intramedular extensa cervical. A paciente foi submetida somente à biópsia, por causa de dificuldades na ressecção, sendo depois proposta radioterapia. O tumor teve uma discreta redução, a paciente permaneceu sem piora dos sinais e sintomas durante os oito anos de evolução. Embora muito raros, meningiomas intramedulares cervicais existem e devem estar no diagnóstico diferencial de tumores nessa localização. O principal tratamento dessas lesões, de acordo com relatos anteriores, é a cirurgia, com bons resultados.

Meningiomas are among the most common benign tumours of the spinal canal in adults, found predominantly in the thoracic segments. According to the literature, the occurrence of an intramedullary cervical meningioma is very rare, with only eight scientific papers reported in the literature so far. We present the ninth case report ? probably the first reported in the Brazilian medical literature ? and review the previous reports. 40-year-old patient, who started the symptoms with weakness in her right hand and neck pain that worsened at night. The MRI revealed extensive intramedullary cervical lesion. The patient underwent biopsy only and, then, underwent radiotherapy. The tumor had a slight reduction and the patient remained without worsening of signs and symptoms during the eight years of evolution. Although very rare, intramedullary cervical meningiomas should be in the differential diagnosis of tumors of this location. The main treatment of these lesions, according to previous reports, is surgery with excellent results.