Cerebral haemorrhage in the presence of primary childhood central nervous system vasculitis--a review.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate frequency and clinical relevance of haemorrhagic events associated with primary angiitis of the central nervous system in childhood (cPACNS), a rare but increasingly recognized disease with varying clinical presentations.

Method: A systematic literature review from 1990 onwards was conducted to identify reported cases of cPACNS.

Results: A total of 110 paediatric patients met the inclusion criteria.

Lymphocytic hypophysitis in the pediatric population.

Background: Lymphocytic hypophysitis (LYH) is a rare inflammatory disease of the pituitary gland that usually affects women in their ante- or immediate postpartum period; males are affected less frequently than females. An autoimmune pathogenesis is suggested. Symptoms comprise anterior and/or posterior pituitary insufficiency of varying degrees.

Chiari I malformation and intra-cranial hypertension:a case-based review.

Objective: To present clinical and morphological findings before and after surgery in a child with Chairi I malformation (CMI) and intra-cranial hypertension (IH). The literature is reviewed and pathophysiologic factors are discussed.

Clinical Presentation: A 13-year-old obese boy with a 3-week history of headaches, neck pain, torticollis and progressive visual deterioration was admitted.

Factors influencing the complication rate of subduroperitoneal shunt placement for the treatment of subdural hematomas in infants.

Object: In this study the authors' goal was to identify the complication rate of subduroperitoneal (SDP) shunts for the treatment of subdural hematomas (SDHs) in infants and to determine the influences on and predictive factors for these complications.

Methods: The authors present a case series spanning the years 1994 to 2003 and include a statistical analysis of 161 children 2 years of age or younger with SDH who were treated using a unilateral valveless SDP shunt. The patient history, characteristics, and treatment methods including prior therapies, neuroimaging findings, and clinical outcomes were measures of evaluation.

Risk reduction of subdural collections following endoscopic third ventriculostomy.

Object: To evaluate the efficacy and safety using fibrin glue and absorbable hemostats for packing the endoscopic tract in a pediatric population in the prevention of subdural fluid collections after endoscopic third ventriculostomy.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-one endoscopic third ventriculostomies were performed in 20 hydrocephalic children with a mean age of 22 months over a 4-year period using uniformly this technique. Six children, with age ranged 6 days to 22 months (mean 9 months), had severe ventriculomegaly with thin brain mantle less than 10 mm.

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma of the cerebellopontine angle in a child.

Case Report: The case of a 6-year-old girl with a pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) in the left cerebellopontine angle (CPA) is reported. The clinical, radiological, and histopathological findings are presented.

Discussion: To our knowledge, the presence of PXA in the CPA has not previously been reported.

Gamma knife radiosurgery for callosotomy in children with drug-resistant epilepsy.

Objectives: Gamma knife radiosurgery as a noninvasive procedure is increasingly used as a treatment option in patients with intractable seizures. We investigated efficacy and safety of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for callosotomy in children.

Materials And Methods: Between 2000 and 2004 three children between 4 and 14 years (mean 8 years) underwent radiosurgical callosotomy.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of brain abscess in children.

Introduction: The treatment of brain abscess remains a challenging topic usually involving a multimodal concept.

Methods: We report our experience with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy in five children presenting with brain abscesses between 1995 and 2002 at the Department of Neurosurgery, Graz. Mean age was 14.

Somatosensory evoked potentials in children with severe head trauma.

Unlabelled: We evaluated the predictive value of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) in a series of children with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The prospective clinical investigation was performed in a Level I paediatric trauma centre. We included 26 consecutive comatose paediatric patients aged from 1 month to 17 years (median age 11 years) following severe TBI (initial Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) 8 or below).

CSF shunts in children: endoscopically-assisted placement of the distal catheter.

Objectives: Ventriculoperitoneal shunting is the most common treatment for hydrocephalus. Repeated shunt revisions and other previous surgical procedures can complicate the placement of the distal catheter. Occasionally, when conventional sites like the abdominal cavity and the right atrium are used up or unavailable, a ventriculopleural shunt can be inserted.