Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · Nov 2018
A systematic review of deep brain stimulation for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy in childhood.
OBJECTIVE Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) presents a therapeutic challenge in children, necessitating the consideration of multiple treatment options. Although deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been studied in adults with DRE, little evidence is available to guide clinicians regarding the application of this potentially valuable tool in children. Here, the authors present the first systematic review aimed at understanding the safety and efficacy of DBS for DRE in pediatric populations, emphasizing patient selection, device placement and programming, and seizure outcomes. METHODS The systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and recommendations. ⋯ There were 18 patients with electrodes placed in the bilateral or unilateral centromedian nucleus of the thalamus (CM) electrodes, 8 patients with bilateral anterior thalamic nucleus (ATN) electrodes, 5 patients with bilateral and unilateral hippocampal electrodes, 3 patients with bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) and 1 patient with unilateral STN electrodes, 2 patients with bilateral posteromedial hypothalamus electrodes, 2 patients with unilateral mammillothalamic tract electrodes, and 1 patient with caudal zona incerta electrode placement. Overall, 5 of the 40 (12.5%) patients had an International League Against Epilepsy class I (i.e., seizure-free) outcome, and 34 of the 40 (85%) patients had seizure reduction with DBS stimulation. CONCLUSIONS DBS is an alternative or adjuvant treatment for children with DRE. Prospective registries and future clinical trials are needed to identify the optimal DBS target, although favorable outcomes are reported with both CM and ATN in children. ABBREVIATIONS ATN = anterior thalamic nucleus; CM = centromedian nucleus of the thalamus; DBS = deep brain stimulation; DRE = drug-resistant epilepsy; RNS = responsive neurostimulation; STN = subthalamic nucleus; VNS = vagus nerve stimulation.
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · Nov 2018
Superficial temporal artery-to-middle cerebral artery bypass in combination with indirect revascularization in moyamoya patients ≤ 3 years of age.
OBJECTIVE Revascularization is indicated in the management of moyamoya disease (MMD), with options that include direct and indirect techniques. Indirect bypass is popular in young children because the diminutive caliber of donors and recipients makes direct bypass difficult. The authors reviewed a series of patients treated with direct superficial temporal artery (STA)–to–middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass in combination with encephalomyosynangiosis (EMS) in children 3 years or younger to demonstrate feasibility and safety. METHODS A retrospective review of all surgeries for MMD over a 19-year period identified 11 procedures in 6 patients. ⋯ All direct bypasses were patent postoperatively and remained patent at late follow-up (mean 4.1 years), with both STA and MCA diameters increasing significantly (n = 5, p < 0.03). At last follow-up (mean follow-up duration, 5.0 years), favorable outcomes (modified Rankin Scale scores 0–2) were observed in 5 of the 6 patients (83%), with 1 dependent patient remaining unchanged postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS Direct STA-MCA bypass in combination with EMS for MMD is feasible and safe in patients 3 years or younger, based on favorable clinical and radiological outcomes in this patient cohort. Direct bypass should be considered when immediate revascularization is needed, without the biological delay associated with indirect bypass. ABBREVIATIONS EDAS = encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis; EMS = encephalomyosynangiosis; MCA = middle cerebral artery; MMD = moyamoya disease; mRS = modified Rankin Scale; STA = superficial temporal artery; TIA = transient ischemic attack.
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · Nov 2018
Intraoperative intracranial pressure monitoring in the pediatric craniosynostosis population.
OBJECTIVEEvaluation of increased intracranial pressure (ICP) in the pediatric craniosynostosis population based solely on ophthalmological, clinical, and radiographic data is subjective, insensitive, and inconsistent. The aim of this study was to examine the intraoperative ICP before and after craniectomy in this patient population. METHODSThe authors measured the ICP before and after craniectomy using a subdural ICP monitor in 45 children. ⋯ These findings indicate that even nonsyndromic patients with craniosynostosis are at risk for increased ICP. Furthermore, patients who present prior to 12 months of age appear less likely to have elevated ICP on presentation. Further studies with other noninvasive imaging of the retina may be useful as an adjunct tool for determining elevated ICP.
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · Nov 2018
Nationwide survey of pediatric intracranial arteriovenous shunts in Japan: Japanese Pediatric Arteriovenous Shunts Study (JPAS).
The authors performed a nationwide study in Japan to evaluate the annual detected rate of pediatric intracranial arteriovenous (AV) shunts such as brain AV malformations (BAVMs), pial AV fistulas (PAVFs), vein of Galen aneurysmal malformations (VGAMs), and dural AV fistulas (DAVFs). These rates were revealed for the first time and showed that VGAM, DAVF, and PAVF were relatively common but that BAVMs were extremely rare in neonates and infants.
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J Neurosurg Pediatr · Nov 2018
The identification of a subgroup of children with traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage at low risk of neuroworsening.
OBJECTIVEPediatric traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (tSAH) often results in intensive care unit (ICU) admission, the performance of additional diagnostic studies, and ICU-level therapeutic interventions to identify and prevent episodes of neuroworsening. METHODSData prospectively collected in an institutionally specific trauma registry between 2006 and 2015 were supplemented with a retrospective chart review of children admitted with isolated traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (tSAH) and an admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13-15. Risk of blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) was calculated using the BCVI clinical prediction score. ⋯ In this subgroup of children with tSAH, routine ICU-level care and additional diagnostic imaging may not be necessary for all patients. Children with modified Fisher grade 1 tSAH may be particularly unlikely to require ICU-level admission. Benefits to identifying a subgroup of children at low risk of neuroworsening include improvement in healthcare efficiency as well as decreased utilization of unnecessary and potentially morbid interventions, including exposure to ionizing radiation and general anesthesia.