Outcome improvement in cerebral ventriculitis after ventricular irrigation: a prospective controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Cerebral ventriculitis remains one of the most challenging neurosurgical conditions, with poor outcome and a long course of treatment and duration of hospital stay. Despite the current conventional management plans, i.e., using antibiotics in addition to CSF drainage, the outcome remains unsatisfactory in some cases, with no definitive therapeutic guidelines. This study aims to compare the outcome of ventricular irrigation/lavage (endoscopic irrigation or the double-drain technique) to conventional currently accepted therapy using just drainage and antibiotics. METHODS: The authors conducted a prospective controlled study in 33 patients with cerebral ventriculitis in which most of the cases were complications of CSF shunt operations. Patients were divided into two groups. Removal of the ventricular catheter whenever present was performed in both groups. The first group was managed by ventricular lavage/irrigation, while the other group was managed using conventional therapy by inserting an external ventricular drain. Both systemic and intraventricular antibiotics were used in both groups. The outcomes were compared regarding mortality rate, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, and duration of hospital stay. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 5.98 ± 7.02 years. The mean follow-up duration was 7.6 ± 3.2 months in the conventional group and 5.7 ± 3.4 months in the lavage group. The mortality rate was 25% (4/16) in the lavage group and 52.9% (9/17) in the nonlavage group (p = 0.1). The mRS score was less than 3 (good outcome) in 68.8% (11/16) of the lavage group cases and in 23.5% (4/17) of the conventional group (p < 0.05). The mean hospital stay duration was 20.5 ± 14.2 days in the lavage group, whereas it was 39.7 ± 16.9 days in the conventional group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Ventricular lavage or irrigation together with antibiotics is useful in the management of cerebral ventriculitis and associated with a better outcome and shorter hospital stay duration compared to current conventional lines of treatment.

External ventricular drain related complications-whether continuous csf drainage via ommaya reservoir is the answer?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: External ventricular drainage (EVD) is one of the commonest procedures in neurosurgical practice to manage acute hydrocephalus. We evaluated the infectious and non-infectious complications associated with a modified technique for EVD using an Ommaya reservoir. METHODS: Ommaya reservoir was placed in all patients who required EVD placement for CSF drainage. CSF drainage was achieved using a needle placed in a non-coring fashion percutaneously into the Ommaya reservoir to achieve CSF drainage externally. CSF was monitored for signs of infection regularly using CSF biochemistry and cultures. CSF infection was defined by a positive culture or a secondary infection in patients with already infected CSF. RESULTS: 59 patients required continuous CSF drainage during the study period from January 2014 to June 2017. 46 (77.96%) patients had non-infected CSF at time of starting drainage and 13 (22.03%) patients required external CSF drainage for primarily infected CSF. The study period had a total of 793 CSF drainage days (Range 3-64 days) with an average of 13.4 days per patient. The cumulative rate of new infection was 5.08%. No ventricular catheter blockage or dislodgement was seen in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: External ventricular drainage through an Ommaya chamber is a safe and effective method and can be used to reduce the catheter related complications like infection, catheter blockage and dislodgement.

Neuroendoscopic lavage for ventriculitis: Case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Ventriculitis, one of the difficulties in neurosurgical treatment, is a significant cause of death and morbidity in patients with hydrocephalus. Neuroendoscopy is widely used in the treatment of non-communicable hydrocephalus. The advantages of neuroendoscopy may play a decisive role in the treatment of ventriculitis. CASE REPORT AND METHODS: We report a 34-year-old male patient with refractory fever and rapid progressive disturbance of consciousness due to ventriculitis caused by intraventricle rupture in a left colliculus abscess. He received intravenous (IV) antibiotics and saline neuroendoscopic lavage (NEL) combined with septostomy and endoscopic third ventriculostomy leading to rapid recovery and remission of symptoms. We also reviewed the use of NEL for ventriculitis in PubMed from 1970 to January 20, 2019. RESULTS: In our review, 93 cases (including the present report) were treated with NEL; 91 cases of infection subsided, and 7 patients died. CONCLUSION: NEL may be an effective method for the treatment of ventriculitis.

Long tunnel external ventricular drain: an adjunct in the management of patients with infection associated hydrocephalus.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of long tunnelled external ventricular drains (LTEVD) as a temporizing measure in patients with ventriculitis/meningitis requiring cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion in whom immediate shunt surgery is not feasible.Methods: A retrospective review of the records of 15 patients with ventriculitis/meningitis, in whom an LTEVD was inserted, was performed to evaluate its safety, new onset CSF infection and need for permanent CSF diversion.Results: 15 patients with ventriculitis/meningitis had 16 LTEVDs placed between May 2006 and December 2016. There were 10 males and 5 females, their mean age being 16.5 years (range, 8 months-50 years). The mean duration of CSF drainage was 15.6 days (range, 4 to 44 days). Of the 16 LTEVDs that were inserted, two (13.3% - one CSF infection and one wound infection) developed new infection after 44 and 17 days of continuous CSF drainage respectively. The LTEVDs were removed and permanent CSF diversion procedures were performed in 10 patients during the same admission and in one patient later. At a mean follow up of 11.6 months (range 2-40 months), 8 of the 11 patients who underwent a permanent CSF diversion procedure had no clinical features of meningitis/ventriculitis.Conclusion: LTEVDs are an effective method of temporary CSF diversion in patients requiring the same for more than 5 days. These drains have a low infection rate when placed up to four weeks making them a safe and efficacious adjunct in management of ventriculitis/meningitis associated hydrocephalus.

Repair of Anterior Skull Base Defect by Dual-Layer/Split-Frontal Pericranial Flap.

INTRODUCTION: Normal skull base structures are destroyed either by the skull base pathology itself or during surgery that results in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. Skull base repair is usually performed transnasally by using a nasal septal flap. But when NSF is not available and failed repeated transnasal repair, a cranionasal repair with frontal pericranial flap (PF) can be attempted to achieve the highest successful chance. We performed a dual layer/split PF repair of a skull base defect using cranionasal approach and here we describe the technique. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 74-year-old man suffered from CSF leak and ventriculitis after multiple transnasal surgeries for pituitary macroadenoma despite multiple repairs with intranasal vascularized flaps. We performed repair by cranionasal approach and using frontal PF. The frontal PF was divided into left and right halves. The left half went intradural, through the chiasmatic window to reach the sella and cover the tubercular and sellar defect from above. The right half went through the nasion into the nose to cover the defect from below. So the defect was covered by two vascularized flap from a single frontal PF. The repair was successful with no CSF leak and infection successfully treated by antibiotics. CONCLUSION: We introduced the cranionasal dual layer/split PF technique to repair anterior skull base and successfully stopped the CSF leak in a patient after multiple EEA surgeries. This technique should only be considered in specific difficult situation where usual repair by EEA is impossible.

Successful treatment of ventriculitis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae with i.v. ceftazidime-avibactam and intrathecal amikacin.

PURPOSE: A patient with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infection is described, and treatment options are discussed. SUMMARY: Few antibiotics to treat carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infection are available, and treatment is further complicated by the limited ability of many antibiotics to penetrate into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Currently, there is a lack of clinical data on the treatment of central nervous system CRE infections, and therapy is based on case reports, case series, and small retrospective studies. A patient was admitted to the emergency department with intracranial hemorrhage and ventriculitis due to traumatic injury. A ventriculostomy and, subsequently, a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt were placed. After approximately a month of treatment with various antibiotic regimens, the patient's VP shunt was externalized, and a CSF culture speciated carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The patient was then switched to i.v. ceftazidime-avibactam and intrathecal amikacin therapy. His CSF cultures were sterile 3 days after initiation of those antibiotics, and subsequent CSF cultures resulted in no growth. After the patient was treated with intrathecal amikacin 30 mg daily for 4 weeks and i.v. ceftazidime-avibactam 2.5 g every 8 hours for 6 weeks, the ventriculitis resolved, the external ventricular drain was removed, and he was transferred to a long-term care facility for rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: A man with ventriculitis caused by P. aeruginosa and carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae was successfully treated with i.v. ceftazidime-avibactam and intrathecal amikacin.

Management of Pyogenic Cerebral Ventriculitis by Neuroendoscopic Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Pyogenic cerebral ventriculitis is a debilitating form of intracranial infection with an unfavorable outcome as a result of lack of experience in surgical management. OBJECTIVE: To study retrospectively a group of pyogenic cerebral ventriculitis patients managed by neuroendoscopic surgery (NES). METHODS: The standard intraventricular protocols of NES to treat this disease included 1 or more of the following: 1) obliteration of debris, 2) evidence of microbial infection, 3) septomy, 4) incision of the septation, or 5) monitoring catheter insertion. Modified external ventricular drainage EVD (mEVD) was combined with NES when intraventricular debris and bacterial plaques could not be evacuated completely. Subsequent surgical treatment strategies depended on the clinical manifestation, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and mEVD blockage tests approximately 3 weeks after the last NES. RESULTS: Forty-one patients, who were distributed in 7 hospitals and underwent NES, were included. Five patients received 1 NES, 18 received 2, 16 received 3, and 2 received 4. mEVD was performed in all patients, and mean mEVD duration in the hospital was 27.6 days. At discharge, 15 patients were cured, 15 were cured but ventriculoperitoneal shunt dependent, 9 were mEVD dependent, and 2 died (mean modified Rankin Scale score was 2.48). Two mEVD-dependent patients died, and no other outcomes changed during postoperative follow-up (mean modified Rankin Scale score, 2.67). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a relatively favorable outcome for management of pyogenic cerebral ventriculitis by NES. The techniques and strategies are practical and should be applied more extensively.

Neuroendoscopic surgery for ventriculitis and hydrocephalus after shunt infection and malfunction: Preliminary report of a new strategy.

If not controlled in the early stage, ventriculitis is difficult to treat neurosurgically and can lead to serious sequelae, a long course of treatment, and hospitalization. We report two cases of ventriculitis and progressive hydrocephalus after shunt infection. Both were successfully treated by neuroendoscopic septostomy in combination with thorough intraventricular irrigation through a single burr hole followed by single shunt revision. Although surgical intervention has not been established as a first-choice treatment for ventriculitis, including early-stage ventriculitis, prompt neuroendoscopic surgery appears effective for the management of ventriculitis and hydrocephalus after shunt infection. The strategy described in this report might be useful to avoid recurrent shunt infections and malfunctions, simplify a shunt, and reduce the overall duration of hospitalization.

Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of tubercular ventriculitis: an under-recognized complication of tubercular meningitis.

BACKGROUND: Ventriculitis also referred as ependymitis or ventricular empyema is a known complication of pyogenic meningitis. Despite high incidence of tubercular meningitis in developing countries, there are hardly any reports of tubercular ventriculitis. METHODS: Five patients (four males and one female) of tubercular ventriculitis were retrospectively identified from December 2007 to August 2013. Their clinical features, cranial MRI characteristics, treatment offered, and outcome were reviewed. RESULTS: The median age of 5 patients was 29 years (range 15 to 64 years). Two patients had preceding pulmonary/pleural tuberculosis and one had Pott's spine. One patient had multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. All five patients had papilledema, four had seizures, two had hemiparesis, and two had vision loss. On cranial MRI all patients showed contrast enhancement of ependymal wall of lateral/fourth ventricle with restricted diffusion and hydrocephalus; three showed intra-ventricular septations with sequestered ventricles, and two had ventricular sludge. Magnetization transfer (MT) images were available in only two patients. Both showed hyperintense epedymal wall on MT images. Four patients required ventriculo-peritoneal shunt and two underwent temporal lobectomy. Two patients with sequestered temporal lobe had acute deterioration in consciousness with signs of impending herniation and required urgent surgical intervention. Four patients recovered on anti-tubercular treatment over 18 months; one receiving secondary line ATT for residual brain abscess. CONCLUSION: Tubercular ventriculitis is a rare complication of tubercular meningitis. MRI feature of sequestered ventricles/intraventricular septations and hyperintense ependymal wall on MT images could suggest tubercular etiology. Symptomatic hydrocephalus may require CSF diversion in most patients.

Third ventricular colloid cysts in children - a series of eight cases and review of the literature.

AIM: Colloid cysts are uncommon lesions, which most commonly occur in the fourth through seventh decade. The authors hereby report a series of colloid cysts in the pediatric age group. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on all patients of colloid cyst that underwent surgery at our institute over a period of seven years (2005 to 2011). Patients above the age of 20 were excluded from the study. RESULTS: All eight patients presented with the features of raised intracranial pressure. All these patients had the characteristic radiological features of a colloid cyst. Of these eight pediatric patients, endoscopic removal was attempted in four. In one of these four, the colloid cyst could not be removed endoscopically and had to be converted into transcortical transventricular excision. In one more patient, transcortical transventricular excision was used, while transcallosal approach was performed in three patients. Of the three patients who underwent endoscopy, one patient additionally underwent septostomy and one patient additionally underwent septostomy along with third ventriculostomy. One of the patients succumbed to ventriculitis. CONCLUSION: Colloid cysts in the young are thought to be more aggressive clinically and radiologically and therefore, early surgical intervention is indicated.

Impact of an educational intervention implanted in a neurological intensive care unit on rates of infection related to external ventricular drains.

BACKGROUND: Studies on the implantation of care routines showed reduction on EVD catheter-related infections rates; however zero tolerance is difficult to be achieved. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of an educational intervention on the maximal reduction on rates of EVD-related infections. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The quasi-experimental (before-after intervention) study occurred in two phases: pre-intervention, from April 2007 to July 2008, and intervention, from August 2008 to July 2010. Patients were followed for 30 days after the removal of the EVD, and EVD-related infections were considered as only those with laboratorial confirmation in the CSF. Observations were made of the care of the EVD and compliance with Hygiene of the Hands (HH), a routine of care was drawn up, training was given, and intervention was made to reduce the time the EVD catheter remained in place. RESULTS: during the study, 178 patients were submitted to 194 procedures, corresponding to 1217 EVD catheters-day. Gram-negative agents were identified in 71.4% of the infections during the pre-intervention period and in 60% during the intervention period. During the study, EVD-related infection rates were reduced from 9.5% to 4.8% per patient, from 8.8% to 4.4% per procedure, and the incidence density dropped from 14.0 to 6.9 infections per 1000 catheters-day (p = 0.027). The mortality reduced 12% (from 42% to 30%). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: During one year after the fourth intervention, no microbiologically identified infection was documented. In light of these results, educational intervention proved to be a useful tool in reducing these rates and showed also impact on mortality.

Endoscopic neurosurgery in preterm and term newborn infants--a feasibility report.

OBJECTIVE: Neuroendoscopic procedures became essential in neurosurgical treatment of disturbed cerebrospinal fluid dynamics. While a vast number of papers report on the neuroendoscopic experience for adults and children, no series so far reported on techniques and indications for neonate infants. We present our experience for the feasibility of neuroendoscopic procedures in preterm and term newborn infants. METHODS: All preterm and term infants who underwent an endoscopic neurosurgical intervention prior to the 28th day after the previously estimated date of delivery were identified by retrospective review. Surgical procedures and techniques, complications, and further follow-up data are reported. RESULTS: During the study period, 14 infants (median age at surgery, 36+(2)/7 weeks of gestation) underwent 20 endoscopic procedures. The performed procedures included endoscopic septostomy (n = 3), endoscopic shunt placement for multiloculated hydrocephalus (n = 4), endoscopic transaqueductal stenting for isolated fourth ventricle (n = 3), and endoscopic lavage for ventriculitis (n = 4) or for intraventricular hemorrhage (n = 6). No severe complications were seen, while two patients necessitating unexpected interventions during further follow-up (10 %). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the fragility of preterm and term newborn infants, neuroendoscopic procedures may play an important role in the treatment of disturbed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics also in this patient population. The neuroendoscopic approach may be curative in conditions like isolated lateral ventricle, may facilitate simplified and effective CSF diversion in multiloculated hydrocephalus or isolated fourth ventricle, and may be beneficial in the course of ventriculitis and intraventricular hemorrhage. Further studies must verify our experience with a bigger cohort of patients and on a multicenter basis.