Intravascular fasciitis of the scalp as a complication of ICP monitor placement: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND/IMPORTANCE: There are only 56 documented cases of intravascular fasciitis, a rare variant of nodular fasciitis. Of these cases, only 2 involved the scalp. This lesion is amenable to surgical resection, making it important to differentiate it from soft tissue malignancies of the scalp. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report an unusual case of intravascular fasciitis involving the scalp at the site of an intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor of a 13-year-old male patient. The lesion was surgically excised with no recurrence upon 1-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Intravascular fasciitis is a benign, reactive proliferation of soft tissue that may arise at sites of prior trauma. It appears as a soft, painless, mobile lesion, and immunohistochemical studies are required to differentiate it from malignant lesions. The standard of care is surgical resection of the lesion.

Direct ventriculoatrial shunt in a pediatric patient: case report and technical note.

BACKGROUND /IMPORTANCE: The safety of direct cardiac shunts has been historically described in the pediatric population before the introduction of silastic catheters but are rarely utilized in modern practice. Herein, we describe several technical nuances regarding the placement of a direct ventriculoatrial catheter in a pediatric patient, including the creation of a sternal divot to accommodate for the movement of the catheter during growth. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report a complex case of a 2-year-old former premature infant with multiple systemic congenital abnormalities, including tracheal atresia (type 2), complete atrioventricular septal defect status post repair, and shunted hydrocephalus. She developed multiple shunt malfunctions secondary to abdominal malabsorption and shunt infections. CONCLUSION: Multiple options for distal shunt placement, including the atrium via open and endovascular techniques, the abdomen, gallbladder, and pleura, were considered, but the direct cardiac placement was felt to be the safest option given the patient's coexisting conditions. Placement requires a multidisciplinary team. Special consideration should be made for linear growth in children.

Fatty filum terminale and low-lying conus medullaris in Gollop-Wolfgang complex: a case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND/IMPORTANCE: Gollop-Wolfgang complex is a rare skeletal dysplasia with only 200 cases reported in the literature. This disorder is usually associated with several extraosseous anomalies. This report describes the first case of a fatty filum terminale and a low-lying conus medullaris in a patient with this complex. A review of the current literature of the Gollop-Wolfgang complex accompanies this case, highlighting the documented extraosseous anomalies seen in this complex. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report a case of an 18-month-old patient with Gollop-Wolfgang complex who underwent cord untethering with release of the filum terminale after extensive workup showed the presence of a dyssynergic bladder and radiological evaluation revealed a fatty filum terminale and low-lying conus medullaris. CONCLUSION: Gollop-Wolfgang complex is a skeletal dysplasia usually associated with several extra skeletal anomalies. Our report describes the first case of a fatty filum terminale and low-lying conus medullaris in this complex, as well as provides an overview of the documented anomalies seen in this disorder. A multidisciplinary approach is recommended when treating these infants in order to ensure that occult manifestations of the complex are not missed.

Pregnancy and Childbirth in Women With Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.

Background Idiopathic intracranial hypertension affects many women of childbearing age. However, the literature is sparse regarding pregnancy outcomes for these women. The goal of this study is to investigate the relationship between pregnancy outcomes in patients with a diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Methodology The TriNetX Research Network database was used to query 57 healthcare organizations for patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension while pregnant (cohort 1) versus those who were pregnant without idiopathic intracranial hypertension (cohort 2). Cohorts were propensity-score matched for confounders related to pregnancy outcomes. The primary outcomes of interest were ectopic or molar pregnancy, cesarean section, abortion, preterm labor, depression, pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, and mortality. Chi-square analysis and logistic analysis were used on categorical variables. Results Ectopic/molar pregnancy was seen in 106 (1.75%) versus 117 (1.93%) (odds ratio (OR) 0.904, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.694, 1.179), p = 0.4572) patients in cohorts 1 and 2, respectively. Cesarean section was seen in 785 (12.94%) versus 886 (14.59%) (OR 0.869, 95% CI (0.784, 0.964), p = 0.0078) patients, abortion in 536 (8.83%) versus 682 (11.24%) (OR 0.765, 95% CI (0.679, 0.862), p < 0.0001), preterm labor in 498 (8.206%) versus 668 (11.01%) (OR 0.723, 95% CI (0.640, 0.816), p < 0.0001), depression in 1,057 (17.42%) versus 1,061 (17.48%) (OR 0.995, 95% CI (0.906, 1.093), p = 0.9238), and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia in 501 (8.26%) versus 492 (8.11%) (OR 0.1.02, 95% CI (0.896, 1.161), p = 0.7657). Mortality was seen in 68 patients in cohort 1 versus 13 patients in cohort 2 (OR 5.279, 95% CI (2.913, 9.564), p < 0.0001). Conclusions This retrospective study examined pregnancy outcomes for pregnant women with a diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Women with idiopathic intracranial hypertension do not have an increase in rates of abortion, ectopic/molar pregnancy, cesarean section, preterm labor, or depression when compared to women without idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The mortality rate was higher in the idiopathic intracranial hypertension cohort, but still very low. This study demonstrates that pregnancy is generally well tolerated in the idiopathic intracranial hypertension population.

Risk of Glioblastoma Multiforme in Patients Taking Ion Channel Blockers.

Background Ion channels play a role in the development and progression of glioblastoma multiforme. This study investigates the association between the risk of developing glioblastoma multiforme in patients taking these medications. Methods A retrospective propensity score-matched analysis was performed using the TriNetX multinational electronic health record database for patients taking verapamil, digoxin, amiodarone, or diltiazem versus those not taking these medications. The outcome of interest was the incidence of glioblastoma multiforme. Results Verapamil users had an OR of 0.494 (p < 0.0001) of developing glioblastoma versus verapamil non-users. Patients on digoxin had an OR of 0.793 (p = 0.2393), patients on amiodarone had an OR of 0.600 (p = 0.0035), patients on diltiazem had an OR of 0.584 (p < 0.0001), and patients on verapamil, digoxin, amiodarone, or diltiazem had an OR of 0.641 (p < 0.0001) of developing glioblastoma versus patients not taking these medications. Conclusion In patients taking the ion channel blockers diltiazem, amiodarone, or verapamil, the odds of developing glioblastoma multiforme were lower than in patients not taking these medications.

Decompressive hemicraniectomy for stroke by race/ethnicity in the United States.

Objective: Racial and ethnic differences in the performance of indicated neurosurgical procedures have been reported. However, it is not clear whether there are racial or ethnic differences in the performance of decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) for acute ischemic stroke. This study evaluated the rate, trends, and independent association of race and ethnicity with DHC among hospitalized ischemic stroke patients in the United States. Materials and methods: We used the International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) to identify adult patients (18-year-old and older) with a primary discharge diagnosis of ischemic stroke, excluding those with a posterior circulation ischemic stroke in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 2006 and 2014. We computed the rate and trends of DHC. We then applied a multivariable logistic regression model to evaluate the independent association of race with DHC. Results: A total 715,649 patients had anterior ischemic stroke, including 1514 who underwent DHC (2.1 per 1000). The rate of DHC increased overall from 1 per 1000 in 2006 to 3 per 1000 in 2014. Similar upward trends were noted among Non-Hispanic Whites, Non-Hispanic Blacks, and Hispanics. Hispanics with anterior ischemic stroke were 1.28 times more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to have DHC but no difference was observed between Non-Hispanic Blacks and Non-Hispanic Whites. Conclusions: In this nationally representative sample of patients with anterior ischemic strokes, being of Hispanic ethnicity was independently associated with a higher frequency of receiving DHC compared to being Non-Hispanic White. Future studies should confirm this difference and explore the underlying reasons for it.