RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Infectious intracranial aneurysms (IIAs) are a rare sequel of systemic infection and occur most commonly in patients with infective endocarditis (IE). Despite the increasing use of non-invasive screening angiography in patients with IE, the incidence remains low, yielding limited data on the management of IIAs in pediatric populations. We performed a pooled analysis of all published series of pediatric patients with IIAs to study the disease landscape including presentation, management, and outcomes. METHODS: Data included in this study were pooled from published literature on IIAs between 1960 and 2023. Abstracts were selected for full review to include only manuscripts reporting at least one case of pediatric IIA (age 0-18 years). RESULTS: A total of 145 pediatric patients with 178 IIAs were included. Patients presented with rupture in 68% of cases, of which 36% had intraparenchymal hemorrhage and 39% had subarachnoid hemorrhage. Using multivariate logistic regression, independent predictors of rupture were posterior location (aOR 10, P=0.041) and history of IE (aOR 7.2, P=0.001). Primary medical management was successful in 82% of cases with unruptured aneurysms while, in those with ruptured IIAs, medical management was successful in 26% of cases. The 90-day mortality rate was 28%. Using multivariate logistic regression, ruptured IIAs (aOR 5.4, P<0.01) and failure of medical management (aOR 11.1, P<0.05) were independent predictors of 90-day mortality. CONCLUSION: Pediatric IIAs remain a rare complication of systemic or localized CNS infection in the pediatric population. Medical management of unruptured aneurysms is highly successful, while ruptured aneurysms have a remarkably high rate of failure of medical management and should be treated by early surgical or endovascular intervention when feasible.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The management of hydrocephalus resulting from intraventricular hemorrhage related to extreme prematurity remains demanding. Given the complexities of controlling hydrocephalus in this population, less commonly used procedures may be required. The authors examined the utility of ventriculogallbladder (VGB) shunts in a series of such children. METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all children who underwent surgery for hydrocephalus in the period from 2011 through 2019 at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Six patients who underwent VGB shunt placement were identified among a larger cohort of 609 patients who had either a new shunt or a newly changed distal terminus site. The authors present an analysis of this series, including a case of laparoscopy-assisted distal VGB shunt revision. RESULTS: The mean age at initial shunt placement was 5.1 months (range 3.0-9.4 months), with patients undergoing a mean of 11.8 shunt procedures (range 5-17) prior to the initial VGB shunt placement at a mean age of 5.3 years (range 7.9 months-12.8 years). All 6 patients with VGB shunt placement had hydrocephalus related to extreme prematurity (gestational age < 28 weeks). At the time of VGB shunt placement, all had complex medical and surgical histories, including poor venous access due to congenital or iatrogenic thrombosis or thrombophlebitis and a peritoneum hostile to distal shunt placement related to severe necrotizing enterocolitis. VGB complications included 1 case of shunt infection, identified at postoperative day 6, and 2 cases of distal shunt failure due to retraction of the distal end of the VGB shunt. In all, there were 3 conversions back to ventriculoperitoneal or ventriculoatrial shunts due to the 2 previously mentioned complications, plus 1 patient who outgrew their initial VGB shunt. Three of 6 patients remain with a VGB shunt, including 1 who underwent laparoscopy-assisted distal shunt revision 110.5 months after initial VGB shunt insertion. CONCLUSIONS: Placement of VGB shunts should be considered in the armamentarium of procedures that may be used in the particularly difficult cohort of children with hydrocephalus related to extreme prematurity. VGB shunts show utility as both a definitive treatment and as a "bridge" procedure until the patient is larger and comorbid abdominal and/or vascular issues have resolved sufficiently to allow conversion back to ventriculoperitoneal or ventriculoatrial shunts, if needed.