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An acute intracranial haemorrhage during delivery or pregnancy is a rare complication and usually observed in connection with risk factors. We present the clinical course of a 32-year-old primigravida in the 40th week of gestation delivered in general anaesthesia by Caesarean section after premature rupture of the membranes and obstructed labour. Immediately after delivery and extubation, the patient appeared drowsy and with reduced consciousness. An emergency CCT presented an acute frontal haemorrhage with intraventricular bleeding. In this case there was no history of risk factors and no origin of the bleeding could be identified. A complete remission of the symptoms was achieved after ventricular drainage, intensive care support and consecutive rehabilitation.

Most cases of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) occur secondary to spontaneous intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage. The main concern is development of hydrocephalus, which is related to a poor prognosis. Over the last years, several treatment options for IVH have been introduced, but prospective data regarding the efficacy of those therapies (external ventricular drainage, intraventricular fibrinolysis, lumbar drainage, endoscopic hematoma evacuation) do not yet exist. This review focuses on combined therapy using an external ventricular drain and intraventricular fibrinolysis with r-TPA for IVH-associated initial occlusive hydrocephalus. Moreover, a continuing treatment strategy for persistent malresorptive communicating hydrocephalus using lumbar drainage is described.

Surgical skill requires training at close-to-reality scenarios. Conventional procedures (practical exercises, anatomical or animal cadavers) are increasingly in conflict with objective parameters (costs of OR, quality management, cadavers availability and cost). Surgical procedures can be covered by using Virtual Surgical Reality (VSR).We examined the principle of a VSR system and evaluated the results with 30 probands by the example of modified radical mastoidectomy and ventriculocisternostomy. Probands were divided in experienced (A) and non-experienced surgeons (B). The protocol included time of surgery, collisions and fatal injuries at altogether 15 passages (10 passages - break of 14 days - 5 passages). Additionally the Medical Level of Trust (LOT) describes the confidence into the surgical scenario and thus the quality by volume illustration, texture and haptic data feedback to the user. We used a numeric scale between 0 and 100 and the starting point of 50.The learning effect can be confirmed for both virtual scenarios. The mastoid scenario reaches a total confidence index LOT of 75. The ventricle scenario is evaluated with a total confidence index of 84. The necessary time for the opening of the antrum is reduced from 15.0 minutes (group A) and 22.5 minutes (group B) around 37 % to 9, 5 (group A) and around 56 % to 10.0 minutes (group B). The virtual haptic result was evaluated positive in both scenarios.VSR systems have the potential to revolutionize surgical training. All surgical experienced probands evaluated the VSR-scenario as near-to-reality. "Suspension of Disbelief" is the major condition for effective virtual reality training systems.

The recently defined term "longstanding overt ventriculomegaly in adults" (LOVA) describes a unique entity of chronic occlusive hydrocephalus. The experiences so far using conventional DP valves were not encouraging because of a high percentage of overdrainage. The objective was to evaluate whether gravitational shunts could be used for this condition with an acceptable overdrainage risk. Twenty-three macrocephalic adults aged 17-72 years suffered from chronic progressive hydrocephalic conditions. They received two different types of gravitational shunt. Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 75 months. Only two patients presented small subdural effusions postoperatively, and only one required additional treatment for that. Eighty-two percent were shunt responders. Ventricular size was only marginally reduced in 22 of the 23 patients. There was no correlation between clinical benefit and the reduction in ventricular size. Gravitational shunts clearly have the potency for safe treatment of LOVA, significantly reducing the risk of overdrainage over conventional valves, and may be considered an equivalent alternative to third ventriculostomy.

Evaluation of MR imaging and CSF flow measurement for planning and follow-up of neuroendoscopic third ventriculostomy in occlusive triventricular hydrocephalus.17 patients with occlusive hydrocephalus due to idiopathic or neoplastic aqueductal stenosis were examined before and after surgery with cardiac-gated T2-weighted and cardiac-gated phase contrast cine sequences. The visibility of anatomic structures and the patency of the ventriculostomy were evaluated.In all 17 patients, the relevant anatomic structures were visible. The cine sequence demonstrated occlusion of the aqueduct and patency of the ventriculostomy in all cases, even in patients with doubtful clinical patterns.MR imaging with additional cardiac-gated cine sequences allows exact preoperative diagnosis of occlusive hydrocephalus as well as patient selection and planning for endoscopic third ventriculostomy. Non-invasive follow-up, especially in patients with a doubtful clinical pattern, is possible.

In spite of substantial advances in intensive care for extremely preterm babies, including continuous monitoring and minimal handling, prevention of intracerebral hemorrhage is not successful in some cases. Unless treated adequately, a progressive posthemorrhagical hydrocephalus leads to considerable impairment of neurological outcome. Several conservative treatment strategies have been published, but often fail to avoid a permanent ventriculoperitoneal shunt implantation with its possible complications.Our therapeutical regimen of posthemorrhagical hydrocephalus focussed on resolving the mismatch between production and resorption of intracerebral fluid (ICF) by direct lysis of intracranial hematoma and fast decrease of ICF protein concentration. To achieve this goal, we instilled repeated doses of recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) and dexamethasone intraventricularly, generally via external ventricle drainage systems used also to relieve the elevated intracranial pressure.Relevant complications were not observed. Conservative management without shunt operation was only possible in one out of the treated patients.Controlled multicenter studies are needed for statistical assessment of treatment efficiency.

From May 1996 until April 1997 percutaneous CT-controlled ventriculostomy (PCV) was performed in 19 patients with severe traumatic brain injury and no indication for decompressive craniotomy. There was a significant reduction in the duration of the procedure compared to burr-hole ventriculostomy with no complications. Because of further advantage of PCV CT-controlling is the possibility of puncturing even very narrow ventricles.

The first neuroendoscopic operation was done in the year 1910 by the urologically practicing doctor Victor Darwin Lespinasse (1878-1946). Lespinasse never published this procedure. He only reported the case in front of a local surgical society. Several years later (1922/23) the first endoscopic operations in the brain were published by three neurological surgeons within one year (Dandy, Fay and Mixter). This 75 year anniversary is the background for the following historical overview.

Examination of a 14-year-old male who was admitted to an inpatient unit with an acute paranoid syndrome yielded serious organic findings: macroencephaly, head tilted to one side, strabismus, neurological deficits, hydroencephaly and an expressive speech disorder. The personal and family history revealed a disturbance of motor development since infancy and psychiatric illness in the immediate family. The medication and the surgical procedure selected--endoscopic third ventriculostomy--are described and the difficult differential diagnosis is discussed.

A permanent elevation of ICP after severe brain injury for instance in subarachnoid or intracerebral hemorrhage or neurotrauma is associated with a poor clinical outcome. Although increasingly being used in the intensive care of patients with elevated ICP, continuous epidural ICP monitoring in ischemic stroke has not been firmly established yet.We prospectively evaluated the clinical course and outcome of patients with raised ICP due to space occupying ischemic middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction as seen in CT, who underwent continuous ICP monitoring. Epidural ICPprobes were inserted ipsilaterally (all patients) and contralaterally (additional in 7 patients) to the side of infarctation. Glasgow Coma and Scandinavian Stroke Scales (GCS and SSS) were obtained initially and in the further clinical course. All patients were subjected to a standardized treatment protocol for raised ICP. ICP values were correlated with clinical presentation at the time point of deterioration, with outcome and CT findings. Effectiveness of different treatment modalities to lower ICP were analyzed and discussed.9 of 48 patients survived the MCA infarct (19%), with the cause of death being transtentorial herniation with subsequent brain death in all 39 patients. Mean SSS at admission was 20.6 (survivors 21.5 +/- 5.6, nonsurvivers 19.8 +/- 6.5). All patients showed clinical signs of herniation before the increase of ICP. All 39 patients who died developed ICP values higher than 35 mmHg and no patient with ICP values of more than 35 mmHg survived. CCT changes dit not necessarily reflect the absolute measured ICP values. All treatment modalities for raised ICP including osmotherapy, controlled hyperventilation, tromethamol and barbiturates were initially effective, but only in a minority of patients ICP control could be sustained.We conclude that ICP monitoring in large hemispheric infarction may predict clinical outcome. ICP monitoring was not helpful in guiding long term treatment of ICP. It remains doubtful, whether ICP monitoring has a positive influence on clinical outcome of acute severe ischemic stroke.

CT- or MRI-guided stereotactic procedures should be a standard in a modern neurosurgical unit. Analysing 71 cases the indications and results of stereotactic neurosurgery are presented. In 53 patients stereotactic serial biopsies of different intraaxial lesions were performed, in 5 patients a spontaneous haemorrhage of the basal ganglia was removed by lysis with r-tPA. In 3 patients suffering from hydrocephalus due to diencephalic cysts a cystventricular shunt device was implanted. In 3 patients an intracerebral abscess was aspirated and drained. A stereotactic guided craniotomy and excision of small deep-seated lesions was performed in 6 cases. The accuracy of stereotactic tumour biopsies was 88.7% in our series, in accordance to other authors. The stereotactic aspiration and drainage of an intracerebral abscess provides accurate localization and minimal cortical damage and offers the possibility of intracavitary application of antibiotics. The stereotactic internal shunt implantation seems to be an alternative approach in the treatment of diencephalic cysts due to its minimal invasiveness and low operative risk. The aspiration of basal ganglia haematomas with insertion of an external drainage allows the lysis of the haematoma with r-tPA or urokinase. With stereotactic guidance small, deep-seated intraaxial lesions can be well localized and removed.

The treatment of intractable pain, especially in cancer patients, often sets problems to patient and therapist. While epidural and intrathecal spinal administration of opiates is a routine treatment in pain with a sub-diaphragmatic topography it is almost ineffective in cervicocephalic or thoracic cancer. An alternative here is the administration of morphine into the lateral or third ventricle by a catheter-reservoir system. We report on our experience in the treatment of twenty patients, mostly suffering from cancer (18 cases), from 1990 to 1993. It is shown to be an effective, non-destructive method with minimal side effects in the treatment of nociceptive pain. Analgesia takes effect within a few minutes and the necessary doses are low. Our results agree with those of other authors describing good to excellent results in 95% of patients with somatogenic pain. However, no or only minimal effect is achieved in the treatment of neurogenic pain by intracerebroventricular morphine therapy.

In 54 neurosurgical patients--suffering from intracranial tumors, hydrocephalus or different kinds of brain injury--a catheter was implanted in the lateral ventricle for continuously monitoring of the intracranial pressure (ICP). The intraventricular injection of defined amounts of sodium clearance (1-2 cm3) was followed by increased values of intracranial mean pressure--(pm) and pulse-amplitude- (PA). The recorded data showed a high significant correlation after regression analysis. After determination of the pressure-volume-index (PVI) and the theoretical pressure-volume-diagram it was examined whether there is a linear correlation between the parameters of the craniospinal space (id) reserves (constant of gradient, (PVI, K of PVD)) and the gradients (CA) of the linear PA-PM-function. A significant linear relationship, however of weak degree, could be found between these two parameters. The linear PA-PM-function, therefore, can only be understood in restricted circumstances as a direct parameter of the intracranial spacial reserves. The underlying facts of these problems are dealt within this paper.

7 premature infants with progressive posthaemorrhagic hydrocephalus were treated by means of external ventricular drainage (birth weight: 1050 gms, gestational age: 27.7 wks). All infants were generally unwell and were ventilated. The progression of hydrocephalus was well controlled during the drainage period in each patient. We believe external ventricular drainage is an effective form of therapy in premature infants with posthaemorrhagic hydrocephalus until the time of insertion of a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt.

Due to clinical requirements and to improve the handling of CSF drainage set we developed a new concept, consisting of an arrangement of constructions, which are already available. Besides other advantages, the set provides an ICP monitoring, a pump device and a protection of the air filter of the collecting tank for safer transport. Opening the system for the performance of diagnostic or therapeutic manoeuvres can therefore be avoided. This new equipment has been tested in 28 patients having a ventricular or lumbar CSF drainage with good results and has been quickly accepted by the medical staff. The construction is described in detail.

A catheter for intracranial pressure monitoring was introduced into the right lateral ventricle in 71 neurosurgical patients. In 63 patients (88.7%) a significant linear relationship was found between the cerebral pulse amplitude (PA) and the mean intracranial pressure (Pm). In 8 patients (11.3%) no linear relationship was established between PA and Pm. PA- and Pm-analyses performed subsequent to these compliance tests are discussed on the basis of the pathophysiology of the intracranial space.

Patients with an acute "brain damage" where an intracranial pressure rise can be suspected due to the pathophysiological context are an indication for intracranial pressure measurement. For registrating the reduction of the intracranial reserve space before the rise of the medium pressure, volume-loads from the side-ventricles were undertaken with 54 neurosurgical patients. A better bedside monitoring is possible though the mathematical registration of those factors which indicate the size of the functional intracranial reserve space. With the calculated parameters of the reserve space (pressure-volume-index) a theoretical pressure-volume-curve was demonstrated.

One aim of the intracranial pressure measurement is observing constantly patients with intracranial space-occupying factors and therefore to act diagnosticly and therapeutically correct at the right time. Through the continual registration of the intracranial pressure amplitude in relation to the medium intracranial pressure it is earlier possible to forecast intracranial pressure rise and to deal with this than with just the simple measurements of medium intracranial pressure. With 40 neurosurgical patients such examinations were undertaken after implantation of a ventricle catheter. The value of this method was proven during the continual observation of the patient.

In 1919 Wegeforth, Ayer and Essick described the direct puncture of cisterna cerebello-medullaris. Without knowledge and independent of this Karl Eskuchen recommended in 1923 to tap the cistern after touching the squama occipitalis before. His proceeding found general resonance. It is less dangerous and practicable without much experience. Originally there were numerous diagnostical, therapeutical and scientific indications for the suboccipital puncture. Most of them are out of date. Still, it is the only practicable alternative when the lumbal puncture was with no purpose.

A case is reported of early-onset pre-eclampsia combined with severe malformations including holoprosencephaly and hydrocephaly caused by triploidy. By ultrasonic diagnosis, maternal risks caused by either prolonged pregnancy because of immaturity or inappropriate obstetrical management, i.e. by caesarean section, could be avoided. Ventriculocentesis of the macrocephalic fetus was performed and abortion induced.