Risk factors for developing epilepsy after craniotomy in children.

Introduction: We performed a retrospective analysis of children undergoing supratentorial craniotomy, attempting to identify possible risk factors for postoperative epilepsy and the need for prophylactic anticonvulsant therapy.

Materials And Methods: We analysed 107 consecutive patients (55% males) who had supratentorial craniotomy for a variety of diagnoses (tumours, trauma, infection, vascular malformations and others) during 1995-1999. Mean age at operation was 89 months (range: 1-180 months).

Spontaneous resolution of isolated Chiari I malformation.

Introduction: Spontaneous resolution of Chiari I abnormality is very rare. In most patients, the radiological abnormality either stays unchanged with time or deriorates.

Case Report: We present a male patient who was diagnosed at the age of 18 months as having radiological evidence of Chiari I malformation without syringomyelia, which had resolved 5 years later on a subsequent MR scan.

Spontaneous extradural haematoma associated with craniofacial infections: case report and review of the literature.

A 17-year-old male with occult cleft palate presented with depressed-consciousness due to spontaneous frontal extradural haematoma associated with sinusitis. Craniotomy, evacuation of the haematoma and drainage of the frontal sinuses led to a full recovery. Spontaneous extradural haematomas secondary to craniofacial infections are very rare; this appears to be the first described with a coexisting congenital palatal abnormality.