Antibiotic prophylaxis during prolonged clean neurosurgery

✓ The efficacy of oxacillin as a prophylaxis for infection was analyzed in a 27-month randomized double-blind study of 400 patients who had undergone clean neurosurgical interventions lasting longer than 2 hours. Four neurosurgeons took part in the study and 356 patients were eligible for final analysis. Among the 171 patients treated with oxacillin, there was one case of infection (0.6%), compared to nine (4.9%) of the 185 patients given a placebo. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p = 0.0398). This study, together with others (randomized or not), clearly demonstrates the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in prolonged clean neurosurgery.</jats:p

Sacral lipoma of the filum terminate with dural arteriovenous fistula

✓ A patient presenting with progressive paraparesis was found to have a dural sacral arteriovenous (AV) fistula. His condition deteriorated abruptly after thoracolumbar angiography. Embolization of the fistula improved the patient's status so that he was able to walk with crutches. One year later his neurological condition worsened. He was treated via an enlarged laminectomy because of uncertainty concerning a lipoma noted on the initial computerized tomography scan. The lesion consisted of an intradural filum terminale lipoma associated with an AV fistula, both of which were excised. The patient's condition was unchanged 6 months later. The different types of spinal lipomas and spinal AV malformations are reviewed, and mechanisms are proposed to explain the clinical deterioration in this patient. Venous hypertension seems to be the most likely possibility. The lipoma may have produced local hypervascularization of the dura mater with a subsequently acquired AV fistula.</jats:p

Peripheral selective neurotomy of the brachial plexus collateral branches for treatment of the spastic shoulder: anatomical study and clinical results in five patients

✓ A new type of peripheral selective neurotomy involving the collateral branches of the brachial plexus has been perfected for treatment of the spastic shoulder. Anatomical study of six cadaveric shoulders led to the specification of a surgical approach to the pectoralis major and teres major nerves, which innervate the main muscles implicated in shoulder spasticity. Between August 1994 and September 1995, five patients (four men and one woman) underwent two to four associated neurotomies of the upper limb, which included neurotomies of the pectoralis major (all five patients) and the teres major (two patients). The average follow-up period was 11 months, during which there were no local or general complications. The spasticity of the treated muscles resolved in all five patients (Held score range 3—0). The neurotomies led to statistically significant average amplitude increases in shoulder mobility, especially in abduction (+30°), antepulsion (+50°), retropulsion (+20°), and external rotation (+20°). The functionally useful active amplitude scores increased from 2.66 to 5.16/6. This functional improvement mainly involved the standing position and walking stability, as well as improvement in the range of motion of the lower limb. These results encourage the increasing use of this new type of neurotomy in treatment of the spastic upper limb.</jats:p

Giant gangliocytic paraganglioma of the filum terminale

✓ The clinical and pathological features of a giant cauda equina paraganglioma arising from the intradural filum terminale is described. Scattered mature large neurons characterized the tumor as a gangliocytic paraganglioma. Histologically, these neoplasms have considerable similarity with ependymoma and the diagnosis can be easily missed unless special techniques are employed.</jats:p

A new device for endoscopic third ventriculostomy

✓ Since its description by Dandy in 1922, several techniques have been used to perform third ventriculostomy under endoscopic control. Except for the blunt technique, in which the endoscope is used by itself to create the opening in the floor of the third ventricle, the other techniques require more than one instrument to perforate the floor of the ventricle and enlarge the ventriculostomy. The new device described is a sterilizable modified forceps that allows both the opening of the floor and the enlargement of the ventriculostomy in a simple and effective way.The new device has the following characteristics: 1) the tip of the forceps is thin enough to allow the easy perforation of the floor of the ventricle; 2) the inner surface of the jaws is smooth to avoid catching vessels of the basal cistern; and 3) the outer surface of the jaws has indentations that catch the edges of the opening to prevent them from slipping along the instrument's jaws. The ventricle floor is opened by gentle pressure of the forceps, which is slowly opened so that the edges of the aperture are caught by the distal outer indentation of the jaws, leading to an approximately 4-mm opening of the floor. This device has been used successfully in 10 consecutive patients.This new device allows surgeons to perform third ventriculostomy under endoscopic control in a very simple, quick, and effective way, avoiding the need for additional single-use instruments.</jats:p

Multiple vertebral hemangiomas with neurological signs

✓ A case of multiple vertebral hemangiomas with progressive neurological deficit is presented. Successful treatment was accomplished using preoperative embolization, palliative surgical decompression, and postoperative radiation therapy. The patient has remained asymptomatic for 6 years. The authors review the role of current imaging modalities and options for therapeutic intervention. Preoperative embolization, palliative surgical decompression, and postoperative radiotherapy appear to provide a satisfactory outcome in patients with multiple hemangiomas and may represent an effective alternative to more aggressive surgical intervention.</jats:p