[Operative posture in pediatric neurosurgery]. / La postura operatoria in neurochirurgia pediatrica.

Proper placement of the pediatric neurosurgical patient is strictly correlated to age (newborn, toddler, infant, juvenile). Each age group is reviewed on the basis of different morphological and pathophysiological aspects of typical neurosurgical positions (prone, supine, sitting, lateral).

[Intravenous immunoglobulin in the prevention of infections in high-risk pediatric neurosurgery]. / Immunoglobuline endovena (IgEv) nella prevenzione delle infezioni in neurochirurgia pediatrica ad alto rischio.

Sixty-four children undergoing "high risk" neurosurgery, were submitted in a comparative study performed to investigate the prophilactic effect of IgIv in reducing the risk of postoperative sepsis. Patients were divided in two groups that weren't different as to underlying disease, age and sex. 32 patients received IgIv 0.2 g/kg on day 0, day 2, day 5, day 12 and 32 placebo. IgIv reduced the number of postoperative respiratory and urinary infective events, thus resulting in a marked reduction of the therapeutic use of antibiotics. No side effects of administration of IgIv were observed.

[An unusual case of atlanto-axial traumatic dislocation in a child]. / Un raro caso di dislocazione traumatica atlanto-assiale in un paziente in età pediatrica.

The authors refer about a rare case of traumatic atlo-axial dislocation observed three months after the accident. The traumatic etiology was caused by an episode of violence within child's family. The characteristic of the lesion, the months intervened since the traumatic accident, the involved health of the patient and the importance of neurological damage imposed the surgical corrective treatment of the lesion. The authors report about the care of the patient, particularly about the anesthesiological techniques and intensive care during the surgical treatment.