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Background: The CustomBone Service is a bioceramic implant suitable for cranial repair in both adults and children, although there are no clinical data about its use in children under 7 years of age. This surveillance study investigates the outcome in this age group., Method: Twenty-eight children under 7 years old (range, 2.5-6 years) received CustomBone Service from July 2006 to May 2013 in 16 international hospitals. Data of 23 children (12 males and 11 females), harboring 24 prosthesis, were available with a minimum follow-up of 1 year., Findings: Sites of the cranial defect were frontal or parietal (20.8 % each), parieto-temporal (16.7 %), fronto-parietal or occipital (12.5 % each), fronto-parieto-temporal or fronto-temporal (8.3 % each). Initial diseases were trauma (54.2 %), malformation (37.5 %), or tumor of the bone/skin (8.3 %). Rupture of the implant occurred in a single case during the implant (1/26 surgeries, 3.8 %) and the cranial repair was achieved by means of the back-up prosthesis. Five adverse events were registered during the follow-up period consisting of three cases of fracture and two of exposure/infection of the prosthesis. All cases required the removal of the device (20.8 %)., Conclusions: The failure rate of CustomBone Service under 7 years of age was higher than reported in adults and children over 7 years old (20.8 vs. 3.8 %), However, CustomBone Service may be considered a valid option under 7 years old since other materials are burdened by more significant rates of complications in the long-term period. Due to specific properties of this material, indication to CustomBone Service in toddlers should be carefully evaluated by the surgeon on a case-by-case basis.

Background: Although endoscopic septostomy is widely adopted in the treatment of unilateral or specific types of hydrocephalus, there is no consensus on surgical indications, technical aspects and postoperative outcome. In particular, the choice of the ventricular access has been recently debated. We investigated the results of endoscopic septostomy performed through a standard precoronal ventricular access using a rigid endoscope., Methods: Patients who underwent an endoscopic septostomy at our Institution from March 2001 to March 2011 were retrospectively identified. Clinico-radiological data and video recordings of the endoscopic procedures were reviewed., Results: Sixty-three patients (50 children and 13 adults) were collected. In adults, the obstruction of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathway was exclusively secondary to a tumor (neoplastic or pseudoneoplastic lesion). In the pediatric group hydrocephalus was most commonly due to a neoplasm (33 out of 50 patients), post-hemorrhagic and/or post-infectious hydrocephalus affecting 11 children and malformative hydrocephalus the remaining six children. We were able to perform the septostomy in all but two patients, presenting with a scarred multilayered septum secondary to post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus. In 37 cases, one or more other endoscopic procedures were performed contemporarily. The mean follow-up was 24 months (min-max: 5-96 months). Overall, all but one patient benefited clinically and radiologically from the endoscopic septostomy. Two patients harboring a pineal/mesencephalic tumor experienced a late obstruction of the stoma secondary to neoplastic infiltration of the septum., Conclusions: Endoscopic septostomy can be safely performed through a standard burr-hole. The effectiveness of this approach is testified by an early success rate of more than 95% and a long term success rate of 92%.

Background: Decompressive craniectomy is an effective treatment option in case of refractory intracranial hypertension after severe head injury. The incidence of complications following cranial repair after decompressive craniectomy for traumatic brain injury is not negligible, particularly in infants and young toddlers. However, only a few dedicated papers can be found in the literature., Method: We describe the complications observed in two boys and one girl under 1 year of age that were treated in the last decade by hemicranial decompressive craniotomy and enlarging hemispheric duraplasty, and subsequent cranial repair by means of autologous bone-flap replacement., Findings: Despite good clinical and neurological outcome, the postoperative clinical course was complicated in all cases by early or late evidence of subdural fluid collections associated to the occurrence of hydrocephalus and causing recurrent dislocation and progressive resorption of the autologous bone flap., Conclusions: Infants less than 1 year old, undergoing decompressive craniectomy after traumatic brain injury, experience a high rate of complications following subsequent cranial repair. Subdural collections and resorption of the autologous bone flap are to be considered as extremely common complications.

Background: The practice of endoscopic endonasal surgery is still limited in children because of the relative rarity of sellar lesions in the paediatric population. However, such an approach is increasingly reported in the literature as an alternative option to standard sublabial microsurgery, and its surgical results are being analysed. No information on the trend of the postoperative course is currently available. The goal of this paper is to assess the impact of these two different transsphenoidal approaches on the postoperative course., Methods: Thirty-one consecutive paediatric patients were treated for sellar region lesions by transsphenoidal surgery. Fourteen children (group A) underwent surgery with a microsurgical sublabial transsphenoidal approach between 2000 and 2005; the remaining 17 children (group B) underwent surgery with an endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach between 2005 and 2009. The two groups were compared as to rate of admission to the PICU, relief from preoperative symptoms, early surgical complications, postoperative pain (Wong-Baker FACES Pain Scale) and length of postoperative hospital stay., Results: Children in group B showed decreased rates of admission to the PICU (35% versus 100%) and peroperative blood transfusions (23% versus 71%), and a shorter mean postoperative hospital stay (4 days versus 5.7 days). The pain perception was significantly lower in group B than in group A, as demonstrated by the scores registered during both the early (2.05 ± 0.74 versus 2.92 ± 0.91) and late postoperative period (0.82 ± 0.95 versus 1.64 ± 0.84). No remarkable differences in terms of operative time, symptom improvement and early complications were detected., Conclusions: Endoscopic endonasal surgery can improve the quality of the postoperative course in children regardless of the type of lesions treated and the surgical complications.

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the results of instrumented rod and wire fusion in children with craniovertebral junction (CVJ) instability and os odontoideum., Methods: We evaluated seven children (mean age 9.85 years) with Down and Morquio's syndromes and primary os odontoideum. X-ray, computerized tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the CVJ showed reducible instability in all of the cases but one. All the children underwent surgical correction by means of posterior wiring, instrumentation, fusion and external orthosis. A posterior wiring technique was also utilized in the only child with irreducible preoperative atlantoaxial instability, which, however, proved to be reducible under general anesthesia., Findings: At maximum follow-up (observation range 28 to 106 months, mean 59.42 months), the clinical picture was improved in all the patients. The postoperative neuroradiological investigations demonstrated satisfactory bony fusion with neural decompression in all patients., Conclusions: A wiring technique to correct atlantoaxial instabilities has been shown to be more relevant in these children with syndromic atlantoaxial dislocation and os odontoideum due to its simplicity, safety (continuous fluoroscopic assistance is not necessary and there is no risk of neuro-vascular injuries) and lower costs (no complex hardware devices; no neuronavigation systems are required). Preoperative irreducibility of the C1-C2 shift is not an absolute criterion for transoral decompression in children since os odontoideum can be reduced under general anesthesia.

Background: Little is known about the nature of spine surgery training received by European neurosurgical trainees during their residency and the level of competence they acquire in dealing with spinal disorders., Methods: A three-part questionnaire entailing 32 questions was devised and distributed to the neurosurgical trainees attending the EANS (European Association of Neurosurgical Societies) training courses of 2004., Results: Of 126 questionnaires, 32% were returned. The majority of trainees responding to the questionnaire were in their final (6(th)) year of training or had completed their training (60.3% of total). Spinal surgery training in European residency programs has clear strengths in the traditional areas of microsurgical decompression for spinal stenosis and disc herniation (77-90% competence in senior trainees). Deficits are revealed in the management of spinal trauma (34-48% competence in senior trainees) and spinal conditions requiring the use of implants and anterior approaches, with the exception of anterior cervical stabilisation., Conclusions: European neurosurgical trainees possess incomplete competence in dealing with spinal disorders. EANS trainees advocate the development of a postresidency spine subspecialty training program.

Background: According to Menezes' algorithm, pre-operative dynamic neuroradiological investigation in C1-C2 dislocations (C1C2D) instability is strongly advocated in order to exclude those patients not eligible for posterior fixation and fusion without previous anterior trans-oral decompression. Anterior irreducible compression due to C1C2D instability, it is said, needs trans-oral anterior decompression. We reviewed our experience in order to refute such a paradigm., Methods: The study involves 23 patients who were operated on for cranio-vertebral junction (CVJ) instability; all of them had C1C2D of varying degree on x-ray, computerised tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the CVJ. Pre-operatively, irreducible C1C2D was demonstrated only in 3 patients, (2 with Down's Syndrome, one of them was harbouring os odontoideum, 1 Rheumatoid Arthritis), i.e. 13.04%; the remaining 19 (86.9%) had reducible C1-C2 dislocation. After an unsuccessful traction test conducted in the pre-operative phase under sedation, it was possible to completely reduce the C1C2D (with a combination of axial traction with light extension of the neck on the chest and a light flexion of the head on the neck by using a Mayfield head holder) and proceed to posterior fixation in all the patients under general anaesthesia using a precise "timing sequences fixation technique". Wiring (C0 and C3 were fixed first being stretched up to approximately 10 lbs, then C2 in order to pull up this vertebra last by forcing approximately 8 lbs) or screw fixation methods were used to achieve fusion along with post-operative external orthosis and neuroradiological assessment of the C1C2D. The instrumentation produced a lever and pulley effect which assisted reduction of the dislocation., Findings: At follow up (range 34-55 months-mean 45.33 months) the clinical picture was improved or stable in all patients., Conclusions: Pre-operative irreducibility of the C1C2D should not be an absolute indication for trans-oral decompression. An attempt to reduce the dislocation under general anaesthesia and during posterior fixation should be attempted in Down's syndrome, os odontoideum and rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: The effectiveness of antibiotic pre-treated ventricular catheters in reducing the risk of CSF infections (determined on CSF cultures) resulting from the use of per-operative external ventricular drainages (EVD) and the success rate of post-operative endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) in the management of persistent hydrocephalus after posterior cranial fossa tumour removal are assessed., Method: Forty-seven children (group I) were prospectively managed by means of per-operative antibiotic impregnated EVD, post-operative ICP monitoring, and ETV. The results of this group were compared with those of a control group composed by 44 children treated with the same protocol as above except for the use of not-impregnated catheters (group II)., Findings: The rate of positive CSF cultures due to EVD resulted significantly lower in group I (2.1% vs 31.8%); there was no clinical evidence of CSF infections. The success rate of ETV was the same in both groups (75%). Failures of ETV occurred in the patients with subarachnoid tumour seeding and/or tumour extension to the basal cisterns. All the children of group II with failed ETV also showed a bacterial growth in the CSF., Conclusions: Antibiotic pre-treated catheters in our experience considerably limited EVD-related bacterial growth in the CSF. Preoperative hydrocephalus resolved in 60% of the cases after tumour removal, thus confirming recent data from the literature against the routine use of preoperative ETV. In our experience postoperative ETV had a high success rate; poor results were obtained in children with tumour seeding and/or the evidence of positive CSF cultures.