Child's brain最新文献

Several days after receiving a blow to the occipital region, a 5-year-old boy presented with acute symptoms and signs of a space-occupying-lesion in the posterior fossa. A CAT scan revealed a mass with increased density in the region of the fourth ventricle. A suboccipital craniectomy disclosed a subependymal hematoma bulging into the fourth ventricle. The hematoma was evacuated, and the child subsequently made a complete recovery. It is stressed that surgical intervention should be considered in all such cases and particularly in young patients who show progressive neurological deficits.

Using the Ladd fiberoptic system, fontanel pressure measurements were performed in infants from 1 to 219 days of age. Various holding devices were used for standardizing the application force and remarkably consistent values were found among three different holders. In group I (neonates), 9.45, 8.45 and 8.2 mm Hg were the mean values. In group II (4 days to 4 weeks), 10.3 and 9.2 were the mean values. In group III (34-219 days), the mean values were 9.9 and 12.4. In a group of 36 hydrocephalic children, epidural, ventricular and fontanel pressures were compared during surgery, and linear correlation was found but the ventricular fluid pressure readings were consistently lower. In dogs with artificial fontanels, cisternal and fontanel pressure was monitored while volume pressure studies were performed. In 80% of the cases, close linear correlation was found. Fontanel pressure measurement and monitoring give very valuable data on ICP. The correct zero reference point is a difficulty which can be eliminated with standardized holding devices.

Disagreement exists concerning the natural history and treatment of chiasmatic gliomas (CG) of childhood. We reviewed our experience in 21 cases of surgically verified CG with a median age of 4 years at time of diagnosis, followed for a median of 5.3 years (range 3-14.8 years). Initial treatment included radiation therapy (RT) in 18 patients, chemotherapy in 2, and observation in 1. Disease recurrence, defined as progressive visual or neurological deterioration, was documented in 10 children (48%), occurring at a median of 6 years after diagnosis. 5-year actuarial survival was 89%, but fell to 60% by 10 years. Visual improvement after RT was uncommon, occurring once. Intellectual deficits were noted in 5 of 17 survivors. We compared our results to that of other patients reported and concluded that: (1) CG may act aggressively independent of their location in the visual pathway at time of diagnosis; (2) the beneficial effects of RT are difficult to document; (3) progressive disease may occur late in the course of illness, and (4) intellectual sequelae are common in long-term survivors.

A method is presented in which two well-recognized plastic surgical flap techniques are coupled; the Limberg rhomboid transposition flap and the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. The technique was used in 2 patients to provide ample, innervated, and well-vascularized skin cover over myelomeningocele defects.

The methods and results of surgical management in 42 patients under 20 years of age with subdural empyema are described. Based on this experience and on a review of the literature, primary craniotomy with radical removal of pus has increasingly become the authors' preferred method of treatment, in addition to appropriate antibiotic treatment with survival figures of around 90% expected.

24 cases of cystic cerebral astrocytoma represent 11% of 217 supratentorial tumors of the pediatric age group operated. Both macro- and microscopically, such tumors resembled in most cases the well-known cerebellar astrocytoma, presenting as a large cyst with a mural nodule with the pattern of a pilocytic astrocytoma (i.e. spongioblastoma of the German school). The preferential site of incidence was the temporal lobe and the age peaks were of 7 and 16 years without sex prevalence. The surgical technique consisted in the extirpation of the mural nodule, preceded by emptying the cyst, followed by opening the contiguous ventricular wall. The extirpation was partial in one-third of the cases of whom the minority underwent radiotherapy. 1 patient died after the operation while 2 others died from tumor recurrence after 3 and 4 years, respectively, both being mixed tumors (oligoastrocytoma) that were irradiated postoperatively. The follow-up ranged from 10 to 29 years in 70% of the cases. The long-term functional results of the available 17 patients are as follows: good (perfectly well), 12 cases (70%); fair (minor troubles), 5 cases (30%). 3 of the 5 cases with a fair result all had a partial resection.

6 cases with tremor-athetotic type cerebral palsy and 2 cases with moderate dystonia-tremor type cerebral palsy were treated by selective stereotactic thalamotomy. In the former group, postural-movement type tremor in the upper limb gradually progressed with age while athetosis remained unchanged. In the latter group, dystonia in the truncal muscles predominated over the irregular tremulous movement of the upper limbs. In all cases, the intelligence was almost normal. Stereotactic selective thalamotomy (Vim for tremor athetosis, VL-Vim for dystonia tremor) was performed under local anesthesia with the aid of radiological and neurophysiological control methods. The results of the operations were satisfactory in regard to the tremor relief and concomitant improvement of motor performances in most of the cases. Stereotactic treatment might be an effective way to make possible a one-step progress in these handicapped cases. The importance of postoperative physical therapy is also emphasized.

16 patients and 4 adult cases of small-or medium-sized middle fossa arachnoid cyst were subjected to various neuroradiological investigations and their results were analyzed in terms of possible mechanisms of cyst expansion. Based on the results of the investigations which strongly suggested that the cyst is an expanding lesion, all cases were surgically treated by the same techniques of craniotomy, excision of the outer cyst membrane, followed by a cystoperitoneal shunt, resulting in complete disappearance of the cyst concomitant with reexpansion of the surrounding brain and marked improvement in the clinical pictures of the patients.

The clinical course and surgical treatment of 48 children with lipomatous lesions of spinal dysraphism are presented. Preoperative studies consisted of complete neurological examination, IVP, myelography and CT scan if indicated. The complete clinical course and surgical treatment of the children with lipomatous lesions of the lower spine is reviewed. The surgical aim was to free all intra- and extradural adhesions by dural grafting if necessary. The results of surgical treatment are dependent upon the time of treatment (as early as possible), the location and extent of the malformation and the quality of surgical treatment.

10 young patients from 7 to 16 years of age with moyamoya disease were treated by temporal muscle graft (encephalo-myo-synangiosis: EMS) for the purpose of increasing extracranial and intracranial collateral circulation. Ischemic cerebrovascular symptoms and signs were encountered in all of them without intracranial hemorrhage. The patients were observed for 6-26 months after the first operation. Transient ischemic attacks disappeared in 4 out of 7 patients, and improved in frequency and duration in the remaining 3. Paresis of the limbs disappeared in 1 patient and improved in 2. In 2 patients, facial palsy disappeared and dysarthria improved as well. Ataxia disappeared in 2 patients, and involuntary movement of the extremities disappeared in 2. There were no ineffective cases clinically. In postoperative carotid angiography, the middle cerebral arteries were visualized clearly to the peripheral portion mainly via the thickened deep temporal arteries, and the abnormal vascular networks in the region of the basal ganglia reduced in size in most of patients. Improvements in intelligence quotient, electroencephalogram and cerebral blood flow were also obtained in several patients, respectively. EMS seemed to be an effective surgical treatment in young patients with moyamoya disease who suffered from cerebral ischemic symptoms.