Acute obstructive hydrocephalus associated with infratentorial subdural hygromas complicating Chiari malformation Type I decompression

2005 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 752-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence A. G. Marshman ◽  
Jonathan C. Benjamin ◽  
Sanjiv J. Chawda ◽  
Karoly M. David

✓ Obstructive hydrocephalus complicating foramen magnum decompression (FMD) for a Chiari malformation (CM) Type I is rare. Two female patients (17 and 55 years old) presented with strain-related headaches. In both cases magnetic resonance (MR) imaging studies confirmed a CM Type I, which was accompanied by syringomyelia in one case. Both patients underwent uncomplicated FMD with good initial recovery. Unfortunately, conditions in both patients deteriorated, with severe headaches occurring between Days 5 and 6 post-FMD. Decreased consciousness occurred in one case. In both patients, computerized tomography scanning demonstrated an acute obstructive hydrocephalus associated with bilateral infratentorial extraaxial fluid collections (EAFCs). In addition, left parafalcine and convexity EAFCs were present in one case. An emergency external ventricular drain was required in one patient, with delayed conversion to a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Spontaneous resolution occurred in the other patient without neurosurgical intervention. In both cases, MR imaging confirmed that each EAFC was subdural, resembled cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and had distorted the superior cerebellum anteroinferiorly. Despite upper fourth ventricle/aqueduct compromise in one case, normal aqueduct flow artifacts were apparent on examination. All EAFCs resolved spontaneously. Obstructive hydrocephalus complicating FMD is rare but invariably associated with infratentorial EAFCs, which were confirmed to be subdural hygromas in this report. The authors assert that hydrocephalus results from upper fourth ventricle/aqueduct compromise as a result of CSF subdural dissection following a pinhole arachnoid tear on durotomy. Because such hygromas spontaneously resolve, permanent shunt insertion should be avoided.

F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil Munakomi ◽  
Binod Bhattarai ◽  
Pramod Chaudhary

Acute obstructive hydrocephalus due to infratentorial extra-axial fluid collection (EAFC) is an extremely rare complication of foramen magnum decompression (FMD) and durotomy for Chiari malformation type I. Presence of infratentorial  EAFC invariably causes obstruction at the level of the fourth ventricle or aqueduct of Silvius, thereby indicating its definitive role in hydrocephalus. Pathogenesis of EAFC is said to be a local arachnoid tear as a result of durotomy, as this complication is not described in FMD without durotomy. Controversy exists in management. Usually EAFC is said to resolve with conservative management; so hydrocephalus doesn’t require treatment. However, in this case EAFC was progressive and ventriculo-peritoneal shunting (VPS) was needed for managing progressive and symptomatic hydrocephalus.


2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 1147-1150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sait Naderi ◽  
Feridun Acar ◽  
Göksemin Acar ◽  
Süleyman Men

✓ A Chiari malformation Type I may remain asymptomatic until the patient has reached adulthood and acute presentation of symptoms occurs. In several clinical and experimental studies it has been shown that essential hypertension is associated with vascular compression of the brainstem, particularly of the rostral ventrolateral medulla oblongata. Nevertheless, two cases of Chiari malformation and neurogenic arterial hypertension have been reported. In this article the authors describe a patient with Chiari malformation Type I and neurogenic arterial hypertension. A simple suboccipital decompression not only provided neurological improvement, but also led to resolution of the hypertension. In cases of Chiari malformation and concomitant neurogenic arterial hypertension careful preoperative clinical and neuroimaging assessments may reveal the cause of the arterial hypertension. Resolution of neurogenic arterial hypertension may be expected even in a case of simple suboccipital decompression.


2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. E5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uwe Max Mauer ◽  
Andreas Gottschalk ◽  
Carolin Mueller ◽  
Linda Weselek ◽  
Ulrich Kunz ◽  
...  

Object The causal treatment of Chiari malformation Type I (CM-I) consists of removing the obstruction of CSF flow at the level of the foramen magnum. Cerebrospinal fluid flow can be visualized using dynamic phase-contrast MR imaging. Because there is only a paucity of studies evaluating CSF dynamics in the region of the spinal canal on the basis of preoperative and postoperative measurements, the authors investigated the clinical usefulness of cardiacgated phase-contrast MR imaging in patients with CM-I. Methods Ninety patients with CM-I underwent preoperative MR imaging of CSF pulsation. Syringomyelia was present in 59 patients and absent in 31 patients. Phase-contrast MR imaging of the entire CNS was used to investigate 22 patients with CM-I before surgery and after a mean postoperative period of 12 months (median 12 months, range 3–33 months). In addition to the dynamic studies, absolute flow velocities, the extension of the syrinx, and tonsillar descent were also measured. Results The changes in pulsation were highly significant in the region of the (enlarged) cistern (p = 0.0005). Maximum and minimum velocities (the pulsation amplitude) increased considerably in the region where the syrinx was largest in diameter. The changes of pulsation in these patients were significant in the subarachnoid space in all spinal segments but not in the syrinx itself and in the central canal. Conclusions The demonstration of CSF flow pulsation can contribute to assessments of surgical outcomes. The results presented here, however, raise doubts about current theories on the pathogenesis of syringomyelia.


2007 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 412-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges Rodesch ◽  
Bernard Otto ◽  
Micheline Mouchamps ◽  
Jacques Born

✓ The authors report the case of a 21-year-old woman who presented with headaches, frequent sensations of loss of equilibrium, and intermittent strabismus. A tectal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) was diagnosed based on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings. The AVM drained toward the straight sinus and was associated with a tonsillar prolapse (Chiari malformation Type I [CM-I]) and cervical syringomyelia. The tectal AVM was embolized with N-butyl cyanoacrylate, and disconnection of about 80% of the lesion was obtained. All clinical symptoms resolved after embolization, and radiosurgery was proposed to treat the malformation remnant. A control MR image confirmed the regression of the tonsillar prolapse and the disappearance of the syrinx. This report emphasizes that CM-I and syringomyelia may be acquired and related to hydrovenous disorders.


1978 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 910-913 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Hawkins ◽  
Harold J. Hoffman ◽  
Robin P. Humphreys

✓ Signs of cerebellar dysfunction combined with signs suggestive of shunt malfunction developed in three children with obstructive hydrocephalus. Shunt function was normal. In all cases, the cerebellar signs persisted and computerized tomography scans revealed enlargement of the fourth ventricle. Shunting of the fourth ventricle returned the patients to normal function.


2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. E6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica Rivero-Garvía ◽  
F. Javier Márquez-Rivas ◽  
Antonia García-Iglesias ◽  
Raquel Gutiérrez-González

Craniometaphyseal dysplasia (CMD) is a very rare bone disorder characterized by abnormally developed metaphyses in long bones and sclerosis of the craniofacial bones. In this paper, the authors report 2 cases of children diagnosed with CMD and chronic intracranial hypertension with deletion in exon 9 of the human ANK gene (ANKH). After intracranial monitoring, a different treatment was chosen for each patient. One of the patients was treated using CSF shunting because ventriculomegaly in the absence of a Chiari malformation was also observed on cerebral MR imaging. The other patient underwent cranial expansion and decompressive craniotomy of the posterior fossa, because ventriculomegaly was excluded after cerebral MR imaging and cervical MR imaging showed a Chiari malformation Type I. The origin of intracranial hypertension in CMD is multifactorial. Previous intracranial pressure monitoring and a thorough understanding of neuroimaging studies are essential to achieve an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 133 ◽  
pp. e259-e266
Author(s):  
Scott C. Seaman ◽  
Jeffrey D. Dawson ◽  
Vincent Magnotta ◽  
Arnold H. Menezes ◽  
Brian J. Dlouhy

1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 964-970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazunari Oka ◽  
Yoshiaki Kin ◽  
Yoshinori Go ◽  
Yushi Ueno ◽  
Katsuyuki Hirakawa ◽  
...  

Object. The authors report a consecutive series of 10 patients who presented with signs and symptoms caused by tectal tumors. Clinical findings, radiographic features, neuroendoscopic management strategies, and histological findings are reported and discussed.Methods. Since January 1990, 11 neuroendoscopic procedures were performed in 10 patients who harbored tectal tumors. The patients were followed for an average of 5 years (range 2 months-11 years), and a retrospective study was conducted in which case notes, radiological findings, operative notes, and histopathological findings were assessed. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed, and the images were used to classify patients into three groups: those with hypertrophy of the tectum in whom isointensity appeared on T1-weighted images (Group 1); those with a tectal tumor occupying the cerebral aqueduct in whom decreased signal intensity appeared on T1-weighted images, as well as no enhancement after gadolinium administration (Group 2); and those with a tectal tumor in whom mixed signal intensity and conspicuous evidence of contrast enhancement appeared on T1-weighted images (Group 3). The results of histological examination were consistent with MR imaging features: in Group 1, glial tissue or gliosis; in Group 2, benign astrocytoma; and in Group 3, malignant astrocytoma. Cerebrospinal fluid diversion was the only surgical treatment that provided relief from obstructive hydrocephalus. One patient in Group 3 underwent radiotherapy and subsequent partial tumor removal under neuroendoscopic guidance. Thereafter, the tumor remained in decline. All patients had normal intellectual status after undergoing surgery in which a neuroendoscope was used.Conclusions. Neuroendoscopic procedures can provide histological diagnosis, define the tumor—midbrain interrelationship, and be highly effective in treating obstructive hydrocephalus and in removing tectal tumors. This procedure may receive clinical application as a new management strategy for tectal glioma.


1993 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Santoro ◽  
Roberto Delfini ◽  
Gualtiero Innocenzi ◽  
Claudio Di Biasi ◽  
Guido Trasimeni ◽  
...  

✓ Two cases are reported of Arnold-Chiari type I malformation associated with syringomyelia, in which magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed spontaneous decompression of the syrinx. In one case axial MR imaging sections showed a communication between the syrinx and the spinal subarachnoid space, which supports the hypothesis that fissuring of the cord parenchyma is instrumental in the spontaneous resolution of syringomyelia. The MR imaging changes were not accompanied by variations in the patients' clinical course.


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