[Premature craniosynostosis. Diagnosis and treatment]. / Praematur kraniesynostose. Diagnostik og behandling.

The incidence of premature craniosynostosis is 1:2000-1:4000. Ninety percent of these are simple synostosis with premature closure of one or more of the cranial sutures causing reduced or arrested growth perpendicular to the closed suture(s). Ten percent are more complex craniofacial syndromes, where hypoplasia of the maxilla is also of importance to the development of the orbits. The reduced intracranial volume may result in an increased intracranial pressure and is a contributing factor to the rather high frequency of mental retardation seen in patients with premature craniosynostosis. Early correction is necessary in order to achieve a satisfactory cosmetic result as well as prevention of secondary damage to the brain. Craniofacial syndromes with facial hypoplasia require a staged multi-disciplinary treatment. Patients with simple craniosynostosis have to be treated within the first six months after birth.

External ventricular drainage in the new-born. Technical note.

A new method for external ventricular drainage using an introducer and a plastic-covered catheter is described. The advantages of the system are discussed.

Clinical features and outcome in 1076 patients with ruptured intracranial saccular aneurysms: a prospective consecutive study.

In a well-defined area, The Kingdom of Denmark, 1076 patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms were admitted to the six Danish neurosurgical departments in a prospective consecutive study in the 5-year period 1978-1983. Follow-up examinations were accomplished 3 months and 2 years after the admission. A total of 674 women and 402 men with a median age of 49 years were included in the study. The localisation of the ruptured aneurysms were: internal carotid artery 285, anterior communicating artery and horizontal part of anterior cerebral artery 383, middle cerebral artery 291, basilar and vertebral arteries 83 and peripheral or other localisation 34. A significantly better outcome was seen in cases with internal carotid aneurysms compared to other localisations. 670 patients underwent operation. A highly significantly better outcome was found in operated versus non-operated patients in comparable clinical conditions. The advantage of microneurosurgery was well documented. Patients with vasospasm had a significantly worse outcome. Within the first 2 weeks a daily rebleeding rate from 0.2% to 2.1% was observed, and patients who rebled had a significantly worse outcome compared to patients, who did not rebleed. The overall outcome at 2-year follow-up was: normal 27.5%, mild dementia 15.8%, severe dementia 9.9%, vegetative 1.3% and mortality 45.5%.

Clinical features and outcome in 48 patients with unruptured intracranial saccular aneurysms: a prospective consecutive study.

During a 5-year period (1978-1983) the clinical features and operative morbidity/mortality were registered prospectively for all patients in Denmark with an unruptured symptomatic (27 patients) or incidental (21 patients) intracranial saccular aneurysm. A follow-up examination was performed 2 years after diagnosis of the aneurysm. Thirty symptomatic aneurysms in 27 patients most frequently involved the visual pathways or ocular motility (66%). The median diagnostic delay for patients with impaired visual acuity was 7 months but only 14 days for patients with impaired ocular motility. The localisation of the 30 symptomatic and 23 incidental aneurysms were: internal carotid artery (73% approximately 35%), anterior communicating artery (3% approximately 26%) and middle cerebral artery (7% approximately 35%). The diameters of 73% of the symptomatic aneurysms were greater than 10 mm, while the diameter of 74% of the incidental aneurysms were below 10 mm. The total operative morbidity and mortality were 15% and 4%, respectively. The mortality rate in the follow-up period was 10-11% mainly due to fatal bleeding from unoccluded aneurysms. In 21 survivors, a normal mental status was found in 43% and mild dementia was found in another 43%. The impaired visual acuity was unchanged in 67% of patients, while the ocular motility had normalised in 75%. A normal daily functional capacity was enjoyed by 57% while 43% had a moderate reduction, mostly due to visual disturbances.

Primary malignant lymphoma of the central nervous system.

The occurrence of primary malignant lymphomas of the central nervous system in a population of approximately 1 million people has been analyzed retrospectively. Over a 12-year period, about 1000 tumors of the central nervous system were registered. Among these, 22 were primary malignant lymphomas; incidence, 1.83 per million per year. Thirteen of these tumors were of high-grade malignancy and nine were of low-grade malignancy (Kiel classification of non-Hodgkin lymphomas). The majority of the tumors were B-cell lymphomas, and there were no Hodgkin lymphomas. Neither spinal nor meningeal lymphomas occurred. Nine patients were treated only surgically, whereas 11 received postoperative irradiation or chemotherapy, or both. Of the latter patients, six are alive and well at the time of writing. The importance of making a correct diagnosis preoperatively is stressed, inasmuch as radical operation is unfavorable for these patients. A better prognosis is obtained with combinations of irradiation and chemotherapy.

Intracranial Saccular Aneurysms. Results of treatment in 851 patients.

The series studied comprises all 851 patients with symptom-producing intracranial saccular aneurysms admitted to the departments of neurosurgery in Denmark in the five-year period of 1970-1974. The series was divided into seven clinical stages according to Hunt's classification. More than half of the patients were grouped in stages IV and V (Hunt grade 2-3). Of the patients, 76% were found primarily suitable for operation. The mortality within the individual stages was to a great extent independent of the time of operation. A total of 94% of the aneurysms were localized within the region of the carotid artery, with a roughly equal distribution among the internal carotid, anterior communicating, and middle cerebral arteries. Multiple aneurysms were found in 19% of the patients subjected to panangiography. There was a distinct correlation between the severity of the spasms and the clinical condition. The course of operation was complicated in 49% of the patients, the complications being equally distributed within the various clinical stages. The mortality for the patients who underwent operation (total 567) was 32%, and 80% of the deaths were due to direct or indirect consequences of aneurysmal bleeding. At the follow-up performed two to seven years after operation, 52% of the survivors were fully capacitated, 20% were partly capacitated, and 28% were incapacitated. Based on a retrospective analysis, we have started a comprehensive prospective study with registration of available parameters in patients with saccular aneurysms admitted to all departments of neurosurgery in Denmark.