Cerebrospinal Fluid Collected by Lumbar Puncture Has a Higher Diagnostic Accuracy than Collected by Ventriculostomy.

Background: Patients harboring an external ventricular drain (EVD) who develop signs of infection require screening for infection in the central nervous system (CNS). The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can be collected by the EVD or by lumbar puncture (LP). If only one sample is analyzed, the diagnosis might be dubious or false-negative.

Ruptured aneurysm in the posterior communicating segment of carotid artery presenting with contralateral oculomotor nerve palsy.

Background: Brain aneurysms are mostly discovered during the investigation of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Some patients present neurological signs that may suggest the aneurysm's topography, and the oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP) of the same side of the aneurysm is the most common sign. Only one case report of contralateral palsy was previously described in the medical literature.

Cell Index in the Diagnosis of External Ventricular Drain-Related Infections.

Background: The use of an external ventricular drain is required for the treatment of many diseases, such as traumatic brain injury and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Meningitis and ventriculitis are frequent complications arising from the use of external ventricular drain therapy. This study aimed to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and cutoff point for cell index (CI) in patients with traumatic brain injury, SAH, and hemorrhagic stroke.

External Ventricular Drain-Related Infection in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Objective: We aimed to analyze infection rates in patients with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage who underwent surgical external ventricular drain (EVD) placement.

Methods: This prospective study included 94 consecutive patients who required an EVD for spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage at the Neurosurgery Department of Hospital Cristo Redentor, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Results: The mean duration of EVD use was 7 days.