British journal of neurosurgery
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Case Reports
The role of the perforated segment of the ventricular catheter in cerebrospinal fluid leakage into the brain.
Two cases of gross post-operative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage along an indwelling ventricular catheter are reported. The CSF appeared to leak through the perforations of the ventricular catheter, as well as at the site of penetration of the ventricular wall. A small or slit ventricle with high intraventricular pressure may thus be a predisposing factor for this localized CSF collection.
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The association between skull fracture, intracranial pathology and outcome in pediatric head injury.
We prospectively studied 653 consecutive head-injured children (less than or equal to 14 years old) treated over a 54-month period (1984-88) at the Department of Neurosurgery of the Rambam Medical Center (Haifa, Israel). Demographic and clinical data were collected, the patients were divided into five age groups (birth to 2 years, 169; 3-5 years, 194; 6-9 years, 164; 10-12 years, 77; and 13-14 years, 49), and the information relative to each was then compared. All patients (except three who died on the operating table) underwent computed tomography (CT) scans; 225 (34.6%) had intracranial pathology, e.g. focal mass lesions, diffuse axonal injury, and subarachnoid haemorrhage. ⋯ The mortality was 6.6% (43 patients); of these, 39 (90.7%) had admission Glasgow Coma Scale scores below 8. In our area the annual incidence of neurosurgical hospitalization due to head injury in the pediatric group was 37.6 per 100,000 inhabitants per year. This study substantiates the findings of other series on the effects of prognosis of factors such as associated trauma, admission Glasgow Coma Score, mass lesions with persistent intracranial pressure elevation, or diffuse axonal injury.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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A bipolar electrode has been designed to assess the possibility of locating accurately the electrode tip position within a nerve pathway prior to its thermal coagulation without having recourse to a wake-up procedure. By electrically stimulating each of the peripheral divisions of the trigeminal nerve and recording the evoked activity pre-ganglionically from the electrode, using an averaging computer, a clear triphasic response is recorded. ⋯ A preliminary series of 12 patients with trigeminal neuralgia requiring operative treatment were assessed in this study. In eight cases a clear response was obtained, in two the signal-to-noise ratio was too small, in one stimulus artefact obscured the response and in one a blood vessel was hit.
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A facio-cranio-cerebral injury due to a large piece of shrapnel causing direct and heat damage to the temporal lobe is described. It was managed by initial dural repair which was followed by sloughing and repeated wound débridement, leaving an open cerebral wound communicating with a facial wound. Auto-rotation of the temporal lobe occurred, allowing split-skin grafting onto arachnoid mater to obtain dural closure. Further treatment of the facial wound by skin-grafting the cavity and prosthetic reconstruction allowed early return to society and a full rehabilitation programme.
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Hirschsprung's disease can be associated with other congenital abnormalities, some of which are neural in origin. A rare association is with congenital failure of automatic control of respiration--central hypoventilation syndrome, sleep apnoea or Ondine's curse. Patients with this combination tend to have a short life expectancy. ⋯ At the ages of 2 and 6 years, respectively, phrenic nerve stimulators were implanted. Both girls remain independent of nocturnal, mechanical ventilation two and three years after commencement of diaphragm pacing. In patients with Ondine's curse and Hirschsprung's disease in whom the aganglionosis can be effectively managed, diaphragm pacing may lead to independence from mechanical ventilation and prolongation of life of an acceptable quality.