Single surgeon case series of myelomeningocele repairs in a developing world setting: Challenges and lessons.

Purpose: Neural Tube Defects are the second most common group of birth malformations following congenital heart anomalies, with myelomeningoceles being the most severe manifestation (MMC). They require expedited surgical repair, preferably within 72 â€‹h of birth. In low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where resources are limited, timing to MMC repair is not optimal and leads to undesirable outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a proactive approach in a setting from a LMIC could achieve repair within 72 â€‹h. Methods: A concerted effort to expedite repair of all neonates referred with a MMC was undertaken from 01 January 2014 to 1 August 2015. A consensus was reached between neonatologists and neurosurgeons that neonates born or admitted with a MMC are referred immediately to surgeons and that repair will be performed within 72 â€‹h of birth. Hospital records of neonates who had MMC repaired during this period were reviewed for infant characteristics and hospital outcomes. Results: 24 patients with a MMC were operated upon by the senior author (CP) during the study period. Only 13 of these patients were born at the treating institution and 11 were referred from outside hospitals. Most MMCs were in the lumbosacral region and mean MMC surface area was 19.4 â€‹cm2. Mean time to repair for the entire series was 13.6 days. Patients born at the treating institution has a mean time to repair of 10.5 days and patients referred from outside had a mean time to repair of 17.3 days. Series wide, only 21% of neonates were operated upon in less than 72 â€‹h. Conclusion: Despite a pro-active commitment to repairing MMCs within 72 â€‹h for the duration of this series, satisfactory time to repair was not achieved. Late referral, referral from outside hospitals and operating theatre availability were the predominant factors leading to delay in MMC repair. Nevertheless, time to repair in our series was significantly shorter than that reported in MMC repair series based in similar environments. This suggests that even if the gold-standard of a 72-h window cannot be achieved, neonates benefit from much quicker repair when a concerted effort to minimise repair time is employed. This study also highlights the urgent need to address health care constraints in LMIC to improve outcomes for this vulnerable group.

Ruptured presentation of superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm treated with anastomotic repair: Case report.

Superficial temporal artery (STA) pseudoaneurysm is a very rare occurrence that usually presents as a pulsatile mass along the STA distribution following trauma or an iatrogenic cause. We report a case of STA pseudoaneurysm that developed in a 32 year old male following blunt trauma. Unfortunately, the pseudoaneurysm was missed and led to multiple hospital presentations that culminated in an acute bleeding episode. Surgical resection of the pseudoaneurysm was performed and the STA was reconstructed with an STA-STA anastomosis. To our knowledge, this is the second reported case of an STA pseudoaneurysm treated with an STA-STA anastomosis. This case report aims to bring awareness. Although extremely rare, the importance of treating the presence of a pulsatile mass along the STA distribution following a history of trauma or recent cranial surgery with a high level of suspicion is imperative.

Supraorbital eyebrow approach: A single-center experience.

Background: Keyhole neurosurgery is the notion of safely removing brain and skull base lesions through smaller and more precise openings that lessen collateral damage to the surrounding scalp, brain, blood vessels, and nerves. The traditional frontal and pterional approaches require large craniotomies and this predisposes patients to significant and avoidable morbidity. With the growing expectation for minimally invasive surgery, we present our experience with the supraorbital keyhole craniotomy for surgical lesions in the anterior cranial fossa and parasellar regions. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed and evaluated all cases of neoplastic, vascular, trauma, and infective pathologies of the anterior fossa and parasellar regions treated using a keyhole approach, the supraorbital eyebrow (SOE) approach from January 2018 to June 2022. Treatment outcomes were evaluated based on pathology. Results: A total of 50 patients underwent a SOE craniotomy during the study period (28 females and 22 males). Their average age ranged from 12 to 86 years, with a mean age of 47.4 years. All patients had anterior skull base and/or anterior frontal lobe pathologies: (23 tumors, 17 ruptured aneurysms, five traumatic frontal hematomas, three extradural empyema, one cerebral cavernous malformation, and one traumatic frontal skull base fracture with dural tear and CSF leak). Gross total tumor resection was achieved in 87% of cases (13 meningiomas of which six were giant, three gliomas, two craniopharyngiomas, and two cerebral metastases). Clip ligation occlusion rate for our aneurysm cases was 100% and intraoperative rerupture was observed in three cases. Mean ICU stay was 2.2 days for the entire series. The overall 30-day mortality rate for our series was 16% (eight deaths). This was highest in the ruptured aneurysm subgroup, with all 5 mortality cases in the aneurysmal subgroup presenting as World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) grades ≥ III. 4 of the deaths were in WFNS IV and V patients. The most frequent perioperative complication was transient periorbital swelling which resolved within 7 days. It was observed in 18 of the 50 patients. The next common complications in descending frequency were eyebrow alopecia (three cases), supraorbital hypoesthesia (two cases), CSF leak (two cases), and surgical site infection (one case). There was one approach-related intraoperative complication secondary to carotid injury in a giant meningioma redo case. Conversion to a larger craniotomy was never necessary. Clinical outcome for our cases was evaluated according to the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 3-month postsurgery. A good clinical outcome (mRS ≤ 2) was achieved for 78% of our patients. Conclusion: The SOE approach craniotomy is an effective minimally invasive approach for various pathologies of the anterior cranial base and parasellar regions. With experience, giant tumors and complex vascular pathology can be addressed with this keyhole approach.

Keyhole Approaches Applied to Clipping of Acutely Ruptured Intracerebral Aneurysms-A Technical Note and Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Evolution of keyhole techniques in aneurysm surgery allows for definitive surgical management of aneurysmal pathology with little disruption of normal surrounding tissue. While experienced vascular neurosurgeons are increasingly applying keyhole techniques to unruptured aneurysms, experience with ruptured aneurysms is limited. OBJECTIVE: We sought to explore technical nuances and present operative outcomes for our series of 40 consecutive patients presenting with ruptured intracerebral aneurysms treated with surgical clipping via a keyhole approach. METHODS: This study is a consecutive, single-surgeon, single-center retrospective case series of aneurysms clipped with keyhole approaches at Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. Patients presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage were worked up exclusively with computed tomography. On the basis of vessel location and unique anatomic features, aneurysms were clipped through one of these approaches: minipterional, supraorbital, or keyhole interhemispheric. Operative details were assessed on retrospective file review, and patient outcomes were assessed on clinic follow-up. RESULTS: A minipterional approach was used for 55% of cases, the supraorbital approach in 30% of cases, and the mini-interhemispheric approach in 15% of cases. The intraoperative aneurysm rupture rate was 26.2%. Complete aneurysm occlusion was achieved in 97.4% with none of the 40 cases requiring conversion of a keyhole to a larger craniotomy. A good outcome was achieved for 72.5% of patients (modified Rankin Scale score ≤2). For patients presenting with World Federation of Neurological Surgeons grade I to III subarachnoid hemorrhage, 92.9% achieved a good outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The present series supports the concept that sound technical execution of keyhole approaches, even in the setting of acutely ruptured cerebral aneurysms, is a viable option for clipping of intracranial aneurysms.