Child's brain最新文献

4 children with hydrocephalus diagnosed prenatally by uterine ultrasound are presented. In spite of severe hydrocephalus at birth, 3 of the 4 are normal 3.5-5.5 years following surgical therapy. The implications of hydrocephalus diagnosed prenatally are discussed.

Over a period of 3 years, 23 cases of epidural haematoma were observed in our department. The Data of these 23 cases were analyzed; in a few of them the statistics of the world literature was confirmed, but 17 of the 23 had a few interesting and characteristic features, which are studied and discussed.

The Say-Gerald (VATER) syndrome consists of vertebral defects, anal atresia, tracheoesophageal fistula, radial dysplasia and renal defects. 2 children with Say-Gerald (VATER) syndrome were autopsied: the first child was found to have hydrocephalus, aqueductal stenosis and probable craniosynostosis, and the second child had hypoplasia of the nerve roots and anterior and posterior horns of the spinal cord, corresponding to the hypoplastic limb. It is suggested that the Say-Gerald syndrome is a multifocal developmental disorder in which central nervous system anomalies may be found. The children with Say-Gerald syndrome should have a complete neurological examination in order to rule out a potentially treatable central nervous system defect.

In order to determine the efficacy of re-operating on recurrent brain tumors, we did a retrospective analysis of 39 children who underwent such surgery between 1975 and the present. A total of 52 procedures was performed for recurrence of both benign and malignant tumors. 9 patients are neurologically normal and 12 are independent but left with some sort of neurologic deficit for an average of 31 months and 32 months, respectively, postoperatively. 1 child presented severely handicapped and remains so 18 months after his most recent surgery. 17 patients died. 11 improved after re-operation and lived an average of 12 months. 4 were unimproved with an average survival of 10 months. There were 2 surgical deaths for an operative mortality of 4%. We feel that re-operation is a useful therapy for both benign and malignant recurrent brain tumors, and prolongs both the quantity and quality of life in appropriately selected patients.

88 very low birth weight preterm infants who had been evaluated with neonatal computed tomography scanning and/or echoencephalography were subsequently brought to follow-up. Serial neurodevelopmental testing at 6, 12, and 18 months corrected age demonstrated that even the lesser grades of germinal matrix and intraventricular hemorrhage may be associated with a relatively less favorable neurodevelopmental outcome.

In the preceding part, galenic dysgenesis was stated to be a diagnostic hallmark of dorsal cyst malformations. Failed formation of the galenic drainage system conducts the diencephalic drainage laterally into the transverse sinuses as in the embryonal stage, and it is frequently associated with arrested descent of the torcular portion or other anomalies of the dural sinuses. Highly malformed structures of the deep cerebral veins and the dural sinuses seen in this malformation are correctly interpreted in comparison with findings of venous injection studies performed in human fetuses. Pathogenesis of this malformation is also discussed on the basis of embryological studies of the dural sinuses and falcotentorial structures.

Out of 90 children, examined because of growth failure, 15 have been treated surgically. The diagnoses were intrasellar arachnoid diverticulum or empty sella (5 cases), enlarged chiasmatic cisterns (5 cases), chronic 'occult' hydrocephalus (5 cases). Surgery was followed by an immediate increase in growth rate in almost all the cases, even if the result was persistent only in some subjects. In percentage, better results were obtained in patients with enlarged chiasmatic cisterns and chronic occult hydrocephalus than in patients with arachnoid diverticulum or empty sella. The evaluation of prolactin serum levels was demonstrated to be useful both in preoperative diagnosis and postoperative control.

External hydrocephalus means abnormal fluid accumulation in the subarachnoid space under increased pressure with no or slight widening of the ventricles. 9 children were investigated because of pathologically increasing head circumference and abnormal transillumination. PEG and/or CT showed widened sulci frontally, parietally and interhemispherically but no widening of the ventricles. 7 patients were subjected to exploratory craniotomy which disclosed a deep arachnoid space. 2 patients were shunted. All follow-up CT examinations showed normal conditions. We suggest that infants with clinical signs of hydrocephalus and CT picture of external hydrocephalus should not be treated with shunt. The widening of the subarachnoidal space will normalize. The rate of headgrowth will also normalize.

Two infants were reported with intracerebellar hemorrhage due to rupture of angiomatous malformations in the cerebellum. There have been only a few reports on intracerebellar hemorrhage under 6 years of age, which was due to angiomatous malformation in all cases. The results of operations for intracerebellar hemorrhage in infants were more favorable than those in adults, so even if the infant patient shows severe neurological symptoms preoperatively, an operation should be performed.

Frequent seizures and loss of motor, language, and intellectual skills necessitated care in an institution for the physically and mentally handicapped for 4 years after diagnosis of presumed Reye's syndrome in a 10-month-old boy. M obius syndrome was diagnosed and bilateral tarsorrhaphy performed for exposure keratitis. Postmortem examination revealed multiple old boundary zone infarcts in the cerebral cortex, small cavitated infarcts in basal ganglia and thalami, diffuse neuronal loss and gliosis, and a focus of old necrosis in the pons; brain stem herniation during the acute phase of Reye's syndrome was responsible for the latter lesion. Irregular congeries of proliferated peripheral nerves, confirmed by ultrastructural study, were ramifying in the gliotic pontine tegmentum. The pathologic substrate for the neurovegetative state in a long-term survivor of probable Reye's syndrome appears to be multifocal cerebral infarction.