Faculty Bibliography

The author reviews current concepts involving the etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of hydromyelia. A critical evaluation of current surgical approaches in relation to the type of hydromyelia present is discussed

A retrospective examination of brain tumors in infants less than a year of age was undertaken by reviewing their charts and CT scans. In contradistinction to brain tumors found in older children, most tumors were supratentorial in location. The most common histologic types included: astrocytoma, ganglioglioma and primative neuroectodermal tumors. Apart from their larger size at the time of presentation, these tumors were radiologically and pathologically similar to analogous tumors found in adults

Between 1970 and 1986, 20 patients were treated for the 'Slit-ventricle syndrome'. Six patients had intermittent proximal shunt malfunction and 14 children had increased intracranial pressure with normal shunt function. All of the children in the second group had a relatively small calvarium. Treatment consisted of proximal shunt revision in the first group and a calvarial expansion procedure in the second. The authors discuss the differential diagnosis of the slit-ventricle syndrome and offer guidelines to appropriate treatment

The authors present their experience with the operative management of 20 intra-axial tumors of the cervicomedullary junction. There were two distinct modes of clinical presentation: lower cranial nerve dysfunction and spinal cord dysfunction. Both groups of patients had indolent courses: in 75% of the patients the symptoms had been present for 6 months to 2 years. Radical excision was carried out in all patients. There was no surgical mortality. Postoperative neurological recovery was directly related to the preoperative status; one patient had a significant new deficit. The authors conclude that intrinsic gliomas of the cervicomedullary junction are amenable to radical excision and that an aggressive surgical approach offers the potential for both neurological recovery and long-term survival. The neuroradiological evaluation and operative technique are discussed