Endoscopic third ventriculostomy with or without choroid plexus cauterization for preventing shunt dependence in pediatric hydrocephalus: preliminary results of a prospective clinical case series in a lower-middle-income country (Egypt).

Purpose: Pediatric hydrocephalus imposes a significant clinical and financial burden in developing countries. Traditional treatment by ventricular shunting in this setting suffers a high rate of shunt infection and malfunction. This study aims at assessing the efficacy and safety of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), either alone or combined with choroid plexus cauterization (CPC), for preventing shunt dependence in pediatric hydrocephalus within a healthcare setting of a tertiary hospital in Egypt.

Management of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Single Institution Experience in a Middle-Income Country.

Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem usually resulting in mortality or severe disabling morbidities of the victims. Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring is recently recognized as an imperative modality in the management of severe TBI, whereas growing evidence, based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs), suggests that ICP monitoring does not affect the outcome when compared with clinical and radiological data-based management. Also, ICP monitoring carries a considerable risk of intracranial infection that cannot be overlooked.

Spinal intramedullary hamartoma with acute presentation in a 13-month old infant: case report.

True hamartomas of the spinal cord are very rare, and although several have been reported in the literature, there are few detailed radiological and pathological descriptions of the condition. There is also considerable overlap with other entities, the most common being spinal cord teratomas. The authors report the case of a 13-month-old child with a supragluteal sacral dimple who presented with acute neurological deterioration.

Extruded contents of colloid cysts after endoscopic removal.

OBJECTIVE Mineralized or desiccated colloid cysts pose some unique challenges to endoscopic removal. The extrusion of the solid matrix into the intraventricular compartment has not been previously reported and, as such, no guidance exists regarding its predilection, prevention, and fate. METHODS Postoperative imaging studies in a registry of patients undergoing endoscopic removal of colloid cyst were reviewed to detect any solid matrix within the ventricular compartment.

Fecal incontinence as a predominant symptom in a case of multiply recurrent tethered cord: diagnosis and operative strategies.

Recurrent manifestations of tethered spinal cord after an initial operative intervention for a simple fatty filum terminale is fairly uncommon. The authors present the case of an unusual clinical course in which there were 3 distinct episodes of recurrence, each time presenting predominantly as fecal incontinence and resolving with operative intervention. Typical signs of tethering were absent on radiological evaluation, and operative intervention was based on clinical grounds.