The endoscopic trans-fourth ventricle aqueductoplasty and stent placement for the treatment of trapped fourth ventricle: long-term results in a series of 18 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND: Different surgical approaches have been described in the past to treat a trapped fourth ventricle (TFV) but, unfortunately, these techniques showed a high rate of dysfunction and complications. During the last 10 years the development of neuroendoscopy has dramatically changed the outcome of these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective evaluation of the safety, effectiveness, and long-term outcome of endoscopic aqueductoplasty and stent placement, performed in 18 consecutive patients with symptomatic TFV through a trans-fourth ventricle approach between 1994 and 2010. Thirteen patients underwent endoscopic aqueductoplasty and stent placement and 5 patients underwent aqueductoplasty alone using a tailored suboccipital approach through the foramen of Magendie in prone or sitting position. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients at the time of surgery was 15.2 years. All patients but 3 had a supratentorial ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Fifteen patients presented with slit supratentorial ventricles. At a mean followup of 90.8 months all patients experienced a stable clinical improvement. Only two complications were observed: A transient diplopia due to dysconjugate eye movements in one patient and a transient trochlear palsy in another one. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience and the literature review suggest that endoscopic trans-fourth ventricle aqueductoplasty and stent placement is a minimally invasive, safe, and effective technique for the treatment of TFV and should be strongly recommended, especially in patients with supratentorial slit ventricles.

Treatment of Chiari type I malformation in children: the experience of Lyon.

The Chiari I malformation represents a complex disease and its pathophysiology is not completely understood and consequently different surgical procedures have been proposed in the literature. The use of MRI have increased the diagnosis of Chiari I malformation but generally the Chiari I is characterized by the herniation of tonsils at 5 mm below the plane of the occipital hole. The consequent disturbance of the CSF circulation at the level of the cranio-vertebral junction favors the occurrence of the syrinx between 20 and 70% of cases in pediatric series. Different surgical techniques have been proposed. We report two series of patients treated with the same surgical procedure except for the use of a Goretex dural patch in the second group with better clinical results. Our experience seems to confirm that the Chiari I malformation is a complex disease in which the impairment of the CSF circulation plays an important role to explain the severity of the clinical picture. The bone decompression and the restauration of the CSF circulation with a dural patch with Goretex seems to be effective for improving the clinical picture with good results.

The parallel use of endoscopic fenestration and a cystoperitoneal shunt with programmable valve to treat arachnoid cysts: experience and hypothesis.

OBJECT: The authors share their experience of the treatment of arachnoid cysts with endoscopic fenestration and cystoperitoneal shunt placement during the same operation. The importance of this strategy is related to the fact that the shunt can induce the collapse of the cyst and that the endoscopic fenestration could make it possible to remove the shunt, avoiding the phenomenon of shunt dependence. METHODS: Between 1996 and 2005, 35 patients with an arachnoid cyst were treated using endoscopic fenestration and placement of a programmable shunt. The patients' ages (70% boys and 30% girls) ranged from 2 months to 16 years. These patients were reviewed with MR imaging and clinical examination. The cyst volumes and clinical examinations were evaluated. RESULTS: No serious complications were reported; the cyst disappeared in 60% of the cases, and in 54% of the cases it was possible to remove the shunt without shunt dependence. CONCLUSIONS: In the authors' view, this strategy seems easy, does not take longer than a simple shunt surgery or an endoscopic cystostomy alone, and can be useful for treatment of arachnoid cysts in all locations.