Noncommunicating hydrocephalus

A patient with Klippel-Feil syndrome presented with hydrocephalus secondary to intraventricular hemorrhage. Fusion of the cervical vertebrae may have impeded cerebrospinal fluid flow. Change in the properties of cerebrospinal fluid flow after hemorrhage may have induced noncommunicating hydrocephalus. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy was effective for the treatment of hydrocephalus associated with Klippel-Feil syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: There have been no reports of occult medulloblastoma nor noncommunicating hydrocephalus due to radiologically occult brain tumors. Herein, we report radiologically occult medulloblastoma with noncommunicating hydrocephalus. CASE REPORT: A 3-year-old boy presented with macrocephaly, visual field constriction, and papilledema. Neuroimagings showed enlargement of the ventricles without any mass lesions. The CT cisternography did not show influx of the contrast into the ventricles, which suggested local cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulatory disturbance at the outlet of the fourth ventricle...

Background and purpose Enlargement of the subarachnoid spaces in infancy (ESSI) is a common cause of macrocephaly without proven explanation. We have observed subarachnoid diffusion to be decreased in these patients. We aim to quantify the diffusivity of ventricular and subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid in ESSI patients, to determine if diffusion characteristics deviate from normocephalic infants, and to propose a unique mechanism for ESSI. Materials and methods 227 consecutive brain magnetic resonance exams from different macrocephalic children were retrospectively reviewed after institutional review board waiver...

BACKGROUND: Hydrocephalus is classified as noncommunicating and communicating based on whether all ventricular and subarachnoid spaces are communicating. Although the diagnosis between the two different states is crucial, it is difficult in certain conditions. In particular, communicating hydrocephalus and noncommunicating hydrocephalus owing to fourth ventricle outlet obstruction are highly misdiagnosed. We describe a case of fourth ventricle outlet obstruction of unknown origin that was initially misdiagnosed as communicating hydrocephalus...

Neuromyelitis optica is an inflammatory disease characterized by neuritis and myelitis of the optic nerve. Its physiopathology is connected with the aquaporin-4 water channel, since antibodies against aquaporin-4 have been found in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood of neuromyelitis optica patients. The seropositivity for aquaporin-4 antibodies is used for the diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica or neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease. On the other hand, aquaporin-4 is expressed in astrocyte feet in the brain-blood barrier and subventricular zones of the brain ventricles...

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma patients can develop hydrocephalus, either obstructive, typically at diagnosis as a result of mass effect, or communicating, usually later in the disease. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the indications and efficacy of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting for patients with glioblastoma-associated hydrocephalus. METHODS: Retrospective review was conducted of 841 glioblastoma patients diagnosed from 2004 to 2014, 64 (8%) of whom underwent VP shunting for symptomatic hydrocephalus, to analyze symptoms and outcomes after shunting...

Entrapment of the temporal horn is a rare form of noncommunicating focal hydrocephalus. Standard treatment has not yet been established for this condition, and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. The authors reviewed their cases of temporal horn entrapment treated between May 2013 and December 2014 and report their experience with endoscopic temporal ventriculocisternostomy. Four patients were identified (3 adults and 1 child) who underwent this treatment. In 3 patients, the condition developed after tumor resection, and in 1 patient it developed after resection of an arteriovenous malformation...

BACKGROUND: Treatment of low-pressure hydrocephalus (LPH) may require prolonged external ventricular drainage (EVD) at sub-zero pressures to reverse ventriculomegaly. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) has been used in the treatment of noncommunicating hydrocephalus; however, indications for ETV are expanding. METHODS: Patients with the diagnosis of LPH as defined by the Pang and Altschuler criteria who underwent sub-zero drainage treatment over an 8-year period were included...

Noncommunicating hydrocephalus is often referred to as obstructive hydrocephalus and is by definition an intraventricular obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow. Patient symptoms depend on the rapidity of onset. Acute obstructive hydrocephalus causes sudden rise in the intracranial pressure, which may lead to death, whereas in chronic hydrocephalus there may not be any symptoms. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging play important roles in the diagnosis and management of hydrocephalus. Advances in magnetic resonance imaging such as the 3D sequences and phase-contrast imaging have revolutionized the preoperative and postoperative assessment of noncommunicating hydrocephalus...

Hydrocephalus basically means an increase in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the ventricles. As simple as it may sound, the definition and classification of hydrocephalus have been a matter of debate over many decades. Many international neurosurgical and radiological workgroups have tried to develop a consensus and over the last 5-10 years have been able to put forth a more well-defined and standardized approach. Though, the debate and controversy surrounding this topic is expected to continue, we have tried to review the most recent and consensually accepted definition and classification...

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CONTEXT: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), wherein a stoma is created in the floor of the third ventricle, has now become the standard procedure for noncommunicating hydrocephalus across the world. However, in certain situations, this procedure may pose technical difficulties. These include a narrow prepontine space, vascularized third ventricular floor, the presence of prominent blood vessels traversing within the prepontine space, significant basal exudates, thickened and ill-defined third ventricular floor, and distorted floor anatomy...

Lumbar puncture is a safe and commonly performed procedure, with an overall complication rate of 0.1% to 0.5%. Well-known contraindications to lumbar puncture are an intracranial tumor, noncommunicating hydrocephalus, coagulopathy, and ruptured aneurysm with subarachnoid hemorrhage. We report a case of a young man with epilepsy who, after a lumbar puncture performed for research purposes, presented with an intracerebral hematoma and neurological deficits. To the best of our knowledge, post-tap intraparenchymal hematoma is extremely rare and only 1 case has been reported previously...

Arne Torkildsen was a pioneering Norwegian neurosurgeon who introduced the ventriculocisternal shunt, the first clinically successful shunt for CSF diversion in hydrocephalus. The procedure, usually referred to as ventriculocisternostomy (VCS), Torkildsen's operation, orTorkildsen's shunt, became internationally recognized as an efficient operation for the treatment of noncommunicating hydrocephalus. The operation gained widespread use in the 1940s and 1950s before the introduction of extracranial shunts. In this paper, the authors look more closely at Torkildsen's development of the VCS and examine how this surgical approach differed from other procedures for treating hydrocephalus before World War II...

320 children were operated on for occlusive hydrocephalus for 10 years (2003-2012). Infant patients amounted to 93.4%, of these newborns were 29.2%. An endoscopic technique was used to restore physiological liquor circulation and compensate for hydrocephalus without shunt implantation. The positive outcome was observed in 75% of cases. Occlusion of the subarachnoid space occurred in the other cases, which required a combination of neuroendoscopic intervention and shunt implantation. There were no complications and mortality associated with an operative trauma...

Aqueductal stenosis (AS) is a form of noncommunicating hydrocephalus, which causes increased intracranial pressure secondary to obstruction of the aqueduct of Sylvius. Relief of intracranial pressure in the fetus by ventriculoamniotic shunting may diminish or even prevent permanent neurologic injury. Shunting was attempted in the 1980s but was abandoned due to technical difficulties. Given the advances in prenatal diagnosis and fetal intervention over the last 3 decades, we believe that an evidence-based reevaluation of the option is timely and appropriate...

OBJECTIVE: Multiloculated hydrocephalus may occur as a consequence of intraventricular hemorrhage or infection and is characterized by enlargement of multiple noncommunicating intraventricular and/or periventricular cysts. In this study, we report the outcomes of open and endoscopic fenestration for multiloculated hydrocephalus at our institution. METHODS: Records of children who underwent endoscopic or open fenestration at St. Louis Children's Hospital from 1999 to 2011 were analyzed...

OBJECT: Osteopetrosis is a rare congenital metabolic bone disease. There are very few reports in the literature associating cerebellar tonsillar herniation (CTH) and hydrocephalus requiring neurosurgical attention. The authors present cases of osteopetrosis requiring neurosurgical intervention from their practice and offer a detailed account of the literature. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted at the authors' institution, and all children with osteopetrosis requiring neurosurgical attention were identified...

BACKGROUND: Rhombencephalosynapsis is a rare genetic aberration characterized by variable vermian hypoplasia/aplasia in conjunction with united cerebellar hemispheres. Genetic defects in the isthmic organizer at the mesencephalic-metencephalic junction are presumably responsible for the associated aqueductal stenosis. OBJECTIVE: We performed a retrospective review of 20 children with rhombencephalosynapsis to evaluate for and emphasize the association of aqueductal stenosis and hydrocephalus...

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Even though dilated Virchow-Robin spaces (VRS) are a very rare entity, they can compel the clinician to start immediate intervention in the case of acute onset of symptoms. To allow a well-balanced management decision, we compiled a summary of all cases published in the literature and discuss the different methods and indications for neurosurgical intervention in relation to dilated VRS. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 43-year-old female patient who came to admission after syncope with a history of unspecific neck pain, fatigue, diplopia, and dizziness...