[Complications of stereotaxic surgery for cerebral tumors. Minimal access neurosurgery]. / Complicaciones de la cirugía estereotáxica de los tumores cerebrales. Neurocirugía de mínimo acceso.

INTRODUCTION: Complications of neurosurgery include the clinical, neurological and neurosurgical aspects. Their prevention and correction depend on satisfactory preoperative assessment and close postoperative follow-up. Although minimum access neurosurgery reduces some problems, the complexity and depth of many cerebral lesions cause problems. Therefore it is important to adhere to the above principles to obtain good results. OBJECTIVES: To determine the clinical complications, their early detection and course to be followed when they occur. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 29 patients with intracranial tumors operated on using stereotaxic surgery during a period of two years. They were evaluated before and after surgery and the complications recorded. RESULTS: We discuss the most significant clinical aspects of peri-operative management. The main complications found were lower respiratory tract infection and hyperglycemia. CONCLUSIONS: These results show the need for suitable management, even in minimum access surgery, in patients with cerebral tumors operated on using stereotaxis and underline the most significant complications.

[Sepsis and antibiotic prophylaxis in stereotaxic neurosurgery]. / Sepsis y profilaxis antibiótica en neurocirugía estereotáxica.

INTRODUCTION: Stereotaxic surgery is becoming increasingly important because of the possibility of approaching the deep zones of the brain with less risk. It is in daily use in cerebral tumours and in the functional surgery of Parkinson's disease. The use of antibiotic prophylaxis in neurosurgery is controversial, although in many centres, including ours, all patients receive it. OBJECTIVE: To study the pre-operative clinical characteristics analysing the antibiotic prophylaxis used, septic complications seen and their management. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study we included 93 patients with neurosurgical disorders operated on using a stereotaxic approach in the Neurosurgical Department of the Centro Internacional de Restauración Neurologica (Cuba) during 1997 and 1998, in which antibiotic prophylaxis was used and septic patients detected. The variables studied included age, sex, neurological disorders, surgical operations done and the antibiotic used for prophylaxis. We analysed the test of clinical criteria for sepsis in all patients. RESULTS: We found that a greater number of patients operated on had had functional surgery, which showed its importance as an alternative surgical method in Parkinson's disease. There was satisfactory use of antibiotic prophylaxis with a reduction in the rate of nosocomial infection; most infections were seen in the lower respiratory tract. CONCLUSION: These results support the hypothesis of use of antibiotic prophylaxis in stereotaxic surgery to achieve a reduction in intra-hospital infections in surgical patients.

[Presentation of distal saccular aneurysm as a subdural haematoma]. / Aneurisma sacular distal presentándose como hematoma subdural.

INTRODUCTION: Intracranial aneurysms are one of the most frequent vascular diseases. Nevertheless, saccular aneurysms that are not due to an inflammatory aetiology, which are located in the peripheral segment of the posterior circulation, are extremely rare. They are most frequently located in the thickest arterial branches within the region of the anterior brain circulation, as is the case of the complex made up of the anterior cerebral artery posterior communicating artery, middle cerebral artery and posterior communicating artery. No clinical manifestations are produced in many of these aneurysms, and their rupture and the subsequent development of a subarachnoid haemorrhage is the cause of the most intense neurological damage, which on occasions can lead to fatal consequences. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a patient who was a carrier of distal aneurysm, located in the posterior region of the brain circulation, and also the neuroradiological findings, the form of clinical presentation and surgical treatment carried out, which allowed us to identify and close the afferent vessel and the resection of the aneurysmatic sac. CONCLUSION: From the presentation of the symptoms of this patient in the form of a subarachnoid haemorrhage, accompanied by a subdural haematoma, it could be inferred that these clinical and imagenological findings point to the rupture of a distal aneurysm. Application of the stereotactic approach would be one of the first choice treatments for aneurysms in the distal region if we bear in mind the characteristics of the afferent vessel, the size of the neck and the morphology of the sac

Complicaciones de la cirugía estereotáxica de los tumores cerebrales. Neurocirugía de mínimo acceso / Complication of stereotaxic surgery for cerebral tumors. Minimal access neurosurgery

Introducción. Las complicaciones en neurocirugía comprenden aspectos clínicos, neurológicos y neuroquirúrgicos. Su prevención y corrección dependen de una valoración preoperatoria adecuada y de un estrecho seguimiento postoperatorio. Aunque la neurocirugía de mínimo acceso disminuye algunos problemas, la complejidad y profundidad de muchas lesiones cerebrales provoca no pocos inconvenientes, por lo que es importante mantener los principios antes señalados para que se produzca una evolución satisfactoria. Objetivos. Determinar las complicaciones clínicas, su detección precoz y la conducta ante las mismas. Pacientes y métodos. Tomamos 29 pacientes con tumores intracraneales operados por vía estereotáxica durante dos años a los cuales se les evaluó antes y después de la cirugía, y precisamos las complicaciones encontradas. Resultados. Se plantean los aspectos clínicos más significativos del manejo perioperatorio. Se encontró que las mayores complicaciones fueron la infección del tracto respiratorio inferior y la hiperglicemia. Conclusión. Los resultados plantean la necesidad de garantizar un manejo adecuado, aun en la cirugía de mínimo acceso, de estos pacientes con lesiones tumorales cerebrales intervenidos por estereotaxia, enfatizando en las complicaciones más significativas (AU)

Aneurisma sacular distal presentándosecomo hematoma subdural / Presentation of distal saccular aneurysm as a subdural haematoma

Introducción. Los aneurismas intracraneales constituyen una de las enfermedades vasculares, que se presentan con gran frecuencia. Sin embargo, aquellos aneurismas saculares que no son de una etiología inflamatoria, que se localizan en el segmento periférico de la circulación posterior, son extremadamente raros. Su localización más frecuente se encuentra en las ramas arteriales de mayor calibre en el territorio de la circulación cerebral anterior, como es el caso del complejo cerebral anterior-comunicante anterior, cerebral media y arteria comunicante posterior. Las manifestaciones clínicas en muchos de estos aneurismas no se producen, y su ruptura y en consecuencia el desarrollo de un cuadro de hemorragia subaracnoidea es la causa del daño neurológico más intenso, y llega en ocasiones a consecuencias fatales. Caso clínico. Informamos de un paciente portador de un aneurisma distal, situado en el territorio posterior de la circulación cerebral, así como los hallazgos neurorradiológicos, forma clínica de presentación y tratamiento quirúrgico realizado, con el cual se logró la identificación y cierre del vaso aferente y la resección del saco aneurismático. Conclusión. Por la presentación de los síntomas en esta paciente en forma de una hemorragia subaracnoidea, acompañada de un hematoma subdural, podría inferirse que estos hallazgos clínicos y radiológicos sugerirían la ruptura de un aneurisma distal. La aplicación del abordaje estereotáctico es uno de los tratamientos de elección para los aneurismas de territorio distal si se tienen en cuenta las características del vaso aferente, el tamaño del cuello y la morfología del saco (AU)