Pediatric neurosurgery
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Pediatric neurosurgery · Jan 2007
Review Case ReportsUnusual presentation of cervical spinal intramedullary arachnoid cyst in childhood: case report and review of the literature.
The authors report a 7-year-old girl who presented with progressive quadriparesis which had started a month before admission. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine revealed an intramedullary cystic lesion extending from C(2) to C(4). After performing a C(2-5) laminectomy, the cyst was drained and anatomically fenestrated with the subarachnoid space by a 1-cm vertical median myelotomy without using a stent. ⋯ In the first month after operation, the neurological deficits disappeared gradually, except for a slight left upper paresis. Cervical spinal intramedullary arachnoid cyst is extremely rare and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intramedullary cystic lesions in childhood. Recovery is possible after subtotal excision and fenestration of the cyst to allow communication with the subarachnoid space even if neurological deficits are present for a long time.
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Pediatric neurosurgery · Jan 2007
Multicenter Study Comparative StudySelective dorsal rhizotomy and postoperative pain management. A worldwide survey.
Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is an operation method that decreases the degree of spasticity with long-lasting beneficial effects for children with spastic diplegia. Children undergoing SDR are postoperatively in severe pain, a pain related to both the extensive surgical exposure with multilevel laminectomy and the nerve root manipulation. Various pain management strategies for children undergoing SDR have been published. The postoperative pain treatment is a vital part of the management. The aim of this study was to estimate the number of centers performing SDR, the frequency of SDR surgery and to investigate pain management of the different centers. ⋯ The most common operation techniques in use today are described by Peacock or by Park, with an estimated number of procedures of more than 487/year in 36 centers. The majority of the centers seem to have a satisfactory pain management strategy. These centers administer continuous infusions of opioids, with an intravenous, ED or IT approach, and incorporate the use of a pain assessment tool to evaluate pain relief.
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As far as paediatric traumatic brain injury is concerned, it is difficult to quantify the extent of the primary insult, to monitor secondary changes and to predict neurological outcomes by means of the currently used diagnostic tools: physical examination, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score and computed tomography. For this reason, several papers focused on the use of biochemical markers (S100B, neuron-specific enolase) to detect and define the severity of brain damage and predict outcome after traumatic head injury or cardiac arrest. ⋯ The role of S100B in paediatric traumatic brain injury has not been clarified yet, and the interpretation of its increase when the head trauma is associated with other injuries needs the understanding of the physiopathological mechanisms that rule its release in the systemic circulation. The levels of S100B in serum after a brain injury could be related to the mechanical discharge from a destroyed blood-brain barrier, or they could be due to the active expression by the brain, as a part of its involvement in the systemic inflammatory reaction. Early increase of this protein is not a reliable prognostic index of neurological outcome after pediatric traumatic brain injury, since even very elevated values are compatible with a complete neurological recovery.
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Pediatric neurosurgery · Jan 2007
Real-time neuronavigation with high-quality 3D ultrasound SonoWand in pediatric neurosurgery.
Intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) serves as a basic imaging tool in neurosurgery. However, its low quality and difficulty in interpreting the images make its use as a resection control tool and navigation system cumbersome. We present our experience using a high-resolution 3D IOUS system combined with a navigation system in pediatric cranial surgery. ⋯ The indications for IOUS were preoperative navigation to define the skin incision and exact craniotomy site, and for real-time neuronavigation and resection control during tumor removal. The added time per case was short and no technical difficulties were encountered. High-resolution 3D IOUS combined with navigation systems has advantages for the pediatric neurosurgical population, including both real-time basic navigation and improved resection control.
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Pediatric neurosurgery · Jan 2007
Case ReportsPosterior fossa dermoid cyst in a patient with Goldenhar syndrome.
A 7-year-old boy with Goldenhar syndrome was diagnosed to have a posterior cranial fossa dermoid cyst. The presence of such a combination of clinical entities has not been reported earlier. The embryonic dysgenesis causing midline posterior fossa dermoid and other anomalies observed in Goldenhar syndrome occur between the third and fifth week of intrauterine life and are probably interrelated. This report emphasizes the need for a high index of suspicion and the value of cranial imaging in a case with Goldenhar syndrome.