OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis (PM), and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) isolates in Chinese children.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information, laboratory data, and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country.
RESULTS: Among the 160 children with PM, there were 103 males and 57 females. The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years, with 109 cases (68.1%) aged 3 months to under 3 years. SP strains were isolated from 95 cases (59.4%) in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases (35.6%) in blood cultures. The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87) and 27% (21/78), respectively. Fifty-five cases (34.4%) had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis, 113 cases (70.6%) had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci, and 18 cases (11.3%) had underlying diseases. The most common clinical symptoms were fever (147 cases, 91.9%), followed by lethargy (98 cases, 61.3%) and vomiting (61 cases, 38.1%). Sixty-nine cases (43.1%) experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization, with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication [43 cases (26.9%)], followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases (15.0%), brain abscess in 23 cases (14.4%), and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases (5.0%). Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old, with rates of 91% (39/43) and 83% (20/24), respectively. SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin (100%, 75/75), linezolid (100%, 56/56), and meropenem (100%, 6/6). High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin (81%, 22/27), moxifloxacin (82%, 14/17), rifampicin (96%, 25/26), and chloramphenicol (91%, 21/23). However, low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin (16%, 11/68) and clindamycin (6%, 1/17), and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin (100%, 31/31). The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160) and 66.2% (106/160), respectively, while 18 cases (11.3%) had adverse outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years. Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old. Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM, and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications. Non-culture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates. Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases. SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin, linezolid, meropenem, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, rifampicin, and chloramphenicol.
目的: 研究中国儿童肺炎链球菌脑膜炎（pneumococcal meningitis, PM）的临床特征、转归和分离菌株肺炎链球菌（Streptococcus pneumoniae, SP）的药物敏感性。方法: 回顾性分析2019年1月—2020年12月全国33家三级甲等医院160例<15岁的PM住院患儿的临床信息、实验室资料和微生物学资料。结果: 160例PM患儿中，男103例，女57例；年龄15 d至15岁，其中3月龄至<3岁109例（68.1%）。脑脊液培养分离SP菌株95例（59.4%），血培养分离SP菌株57例（35.6%）。脑脊液宏基因组二代测序和脑脊液SP抗原检测阳性率分别为40%（35/87）、27%（21/78）。55例（34.4%）患儿存在1个或多个化脓性脑膜炎高危因素；113例（70.6%）患儿有1个或多个颅外感染病灶；18例（11.3%）有明确基础疾病。临床症状以发热最常见（147例，91.9%），其次是精神萎靡（98例，61.3%）、呕吐（61例，38.1%）等。69例（43.1%）患儿住院期间发生颅内并发症，常见并发症为硬膜下积液和/或积脓（43例，26.9%）、脑积水（24例，15.0%）、脑脓肿（23例，14.4%）、脑出血（8例，5.0%）。硬膜下积液和/或积脓和脑积水主要发生在<1岁患儿，分别为91%（39/43）、83%（20/24）。SP菌株对万古霉素（100%，75/75）、利奈唑胺（100%，56/56）、厄他培南（100%，6/6）完全敏感；对左氧氟沙星（81%，22/27）、莫西沙星（82%，14/17）、利福平（96%，25/26）和氯霉素（91%，21/23）敏感率高；对青霉素（16%，11/68）、克林霉素（6%，1/17）敏感率低；对红霉素完全耐药（100%，31/31）。痊愈和好转出院率分别为22.5%（36/160）、66.2%（106/160）；18例（11.3%）出现不良结局。结论: 儿童PM多见于3月龄至<3岁婴幼儿，颅内并发症多发生在<1岁患儿，发热是PM患儿最常见的临床表现，硬膜下积液和/或积脓、脑积水是最常见的并发症。脑脊液非培养检测方法有助于提高病原菌检出率。超过10% PM患儿出现不良结局。SP菌株对万古霉素、利奈唑胺、厄他培南、左氧氟沙星、莫西沙星、利福平、氯霉素敏感率高。.

UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of half-saline (HS) serum as an irrigation solution in chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) surgery using the burr hole craniostomy (BHC) technique.
UNASSIGNED: This randomized clinical trial was conducted in university hospital referral centers from 2020 to 2021. Sixty-three patients with CSDH eligible for BHC were primarily enrolled. Two patients were excluded because of concurrent stroke. Sixty-one patients were randomly allocated into case (HS=30) and control (normal-saline [NS]=31) groups. HS was used to irrigate the hematoma in the case group and NS was used in the control group. The patients were followed-up. Clinical variables including demographic and medical findings, postoperative computed tomography findings, postoperative complications, hospitalization period, recurrence rate, and functional status measured by the Barthel type B index were recorded.
UNASSIGNED: Forty-six of 61 patients were male (75.4%), and the patients\' mean age was 65.4±16.9 years, with equal distribution between the 2 groups. Postoperative effusion and postoperative hospital stay duration were significantly lower in the HS group than in the NS group (p=0.002 and 0.033, respectively). The postoperative recurrence within 3 months in both groups was approximately equal (6.6%). In terms of functional outcomes and postoperative complications, HS showed similar results to those of NS.
UNASSIGNED: HS as an irrigation fluid in BHC effectively reduced postoperative effusion and hospital stay duration without considerable complications.
UNASSIGNED: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials Identifier: IRCT20200608047688N1.

BACKGROUND: Middle fossa arachnoid cyst (MFAC) is one of the most common cranial cysts in children, and the various postoperative complications following cyst fenestration represent a major concern. We conducted a retrospective study in our department and performed a systematic review of the literature to identify the risk factors for complications.
METHODS: A retrospective survey was conducted in 38 patients with MFAC (<14 years) who underwent microscopic fenestration from January 2019 to December 2020. Postoperative complications, including postoperative hemorrhage/hematoma, subdural hygroma (SH), cranial nerve palsy, postoperative central nervous system infection, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, were collected. A systematic PubMed search for cohort studies on surgically treated MFAC published after 1980 was performed. The postoperative complications in the included studies were illustrated.
RESULTS: The overall complication rate in our series was 7.9%, among whom, 9 patients (23.7%) developed postoperative SH, one of which required cyst-peritoneal shunting. Patients who developed SH were significantly younger (4.0 ± 1.8 vs. 6.3 ± 3.4 years, p = 0.012). Binary logistic analysis showed that a lower age could be a risk factor for developing SH (odds ratio: 0.738, p = 0.067). One patient developed a subdural hematoma. No cranial nerve palsy or CSF leak was observed. Eighteen studies were included in the systematic review, comprising 649 cases of MFAC. The most common complication was SH (4.9%), and the postoperative complication rates were similar between the microscopic and endoscopic techniques.
CONCLUSIONS: The complication rate of MFAC fenestration is considerable. SH is the most common postoperative complication, and it mostly occurs in young children. Strict surgical indications should be applied for young children.

BACKGROUND: In treating idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH) with a shunt there is always a risk of underdrainage or overdrainage. The hypothesis is tested whether patients treated using an adjustable valve preset at the highest opening pressure leads to comparable good clinical results with less subdural effusions than in a control group with an opening pressure preset at a low pressure level.
METHODS: A multicentre prospective randomised trial was performed on a total of 58 patients suspected of INPH. Thirty patients were assigned to (control) group 1 and received a Strata shunt (Medtronic, Goleta, USA) with the valve preset at a performance level (PL) of 1.0, while 28 patients were assigned to group 2 and received a Strata shunt with the valve preset at PL 2.5. In this group the PL was allowed to be lowered until improvement or radiological signs of overdrainage were met.
RESULTS: Significantly more subdural effusions were observed in the improved patients of group 1. There was no statistically significant difference in improvement between both groups overall.
CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of this multicentre prospective randomised trial it is to be recommended to treat patients with INPH with a shunt with an adjustable valve, preset at the highest opening pressure and lowered until clinical improvement or radiological signs of overdrainage occur although slower improvement and more shunt adjustments might be the consequence.

OBJECTIVE: Although surgery is the most effective means of eliminating or reducing seizures in cases of medically refractory epilepsy, the expected or unexpected surgical complications must also be kept in mind in order not to decrease patients\' quality of life. The aim of this present study was to assess the surgical complications of temporal lobe epilepsy surgery and their effects on the disease course in patients with intractable epilepsy arising from the temporo-mesial structures.
METHODS: The records of 58 patients who underwent temporal lobectomy and/or selective amygdalahippocampectomy at Gülhane Military Medical Academy between January 2000 and August 2010 were reviewed for peri- and post-surgical complications.
RESULTS: Post-surgical complications were detected in 7 patients (12%). The most common complication of ES was infection in 2 patients (2.9%). Other complications were hemorrhagic infarction, paresis of the frontal branch of the left facial nerve, subdural effusion, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder and late-onset psychosis.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest the importance of post-operative care and long-term follow up in order to achieve favorable seizure outcome after epilepsy surgery.

BACKGROUND: To examine the strength and tolerance of the fibrin glue sealant in a situation of extended transsphenoidal surgery. The withstand pressure of fibrin glue sealant was measured using a simple sellar reconstruction model.
METHODS: A 15-mm diameter hole at the bottom of a 51-cm high cylinder was covered with a Gore-Tex (Gore-Tex, Tokyo, Japan) sheet. A small plate was placed on the center for a brief fixation, and 3 mL of fibrin glue was applied over the entire bottom. Then water was gradually filled in five cylinders, and the water level at leakage was measured as withstand pressures at 10 minutes and 24 hours after sealant application. The stability of the sealant under pressures of 20 and 30 cm H(2)O for 12 hours was also examined.
RESULTS: The median initial withstand pressure at 10 minutes was 32 cm H(2)O (n = 5), and was significantly increased to 47.5 cm H(2)O after 24 hours (n = 4). In four of five cylinders, fibrin glue sealants were stable against a pressure of 20 cm H(2)O for 12 hours and 30 cm H(2)O for the next 12 hours.
CONCLUSIONS: The withstand pressure of simple fibrin glue sealant without other biological reactions could be estimated to be more than 20 cm H(2)O after application, and increased to more than 40 cm H(2)O after 24 hours. These data are practical for neurosurgeons to comprehend the strength and limit of fibrin glue sealant and suggests the importance to control the intracranial pressure to less than 20 cm H(2)O, especially for the first 12 to 24 hours.

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective comparative cohort study was aimed at discovering the risk factors associated with subdural hygroma (SDG) following decompressive craniectomy (DC) to relieve intracranial hypertension in severe head injury.
METHODS: Sixty-eight of 104 patients who had undergone DC during a 48-month period and survived > 30 days were eligible for this study. To assess the dynamics of subdural fluid collections, the authors compared CT scanning data from and the characteristics of 39 patients who had SDGs with the data in 29 patients who did not have hygromas. Variables significant in the appearance, evolution, and resolution of this complication were analyzed in a 36-week longitudinal study.
RESULTS: The earliest imaging evidence of SDG was seen during the 1st week after DC. The SDG volume peaked between Weeks 3 and 4 post-DC and was gradually resolved by the 17th week. Among the mechanisms of injury, motor vehicle accidents were most often linked to the development of an SDG after DC (p < 0.0007), and falls were least often associated (p < 0.005). Moreover, patients with diffuse brain injury were more prone to this complication (p < 0.0299) than those with an evacuated mass (p < 0.0001). There were no statistically significant differences between patients with and without hygromas in terms of age, sex, Glasgow Coma Scale score, intraventricular and subarachnoid hemorrhage, levels of intracranial pressure and cerebral perfusion pressure, timing of decompression, and the need for CSF diversion. More than 90% of the SDGs were ipsilateral to the side of the craniectomy, and 3 (8%) of 39 SDGs showed evidence of internal bleeding at approximately 8 weeks postinjury. Surgical evacuation was needed in 4 patients with SDGs.
CONCLUSIONS: High dynamic accidents and patients with diffuse injury were more prone to SDGs. Close to 8% of SDGs converted themselves into subdural hematomas at approximately 2 months postinjury. Although SDGs developed in 39 (approximately 60%) of 68 post-DC patients, surgical evacuation was needed in only 4.

BACKGROUND: Endonasal management of most anterior cranial fossa cerebrospinal fluid leaks is a well established procedure, and even some middle cranial fossa cerebrospinal fluid leaks can be managed safely endonasally. Endonasal endoscopic management of leakages of the posterior cranial fossa represents an unique challenge.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of an endoscopic endonasal approach for treating well-selected cerebrospinal fluid leaks of the petroclival region.
METHODS: Clinical charts of patients with leakages of the petroclival region treated at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Careful dissection of the petroclival region was performed, both endonasally and externally, in three fresh injected heads.
RESULTS: Two patients presented a leakage of the petroclival region. Both the patients presented multiple skull base defects. The two patients underwent a supratubaric trans-spheno-petroclival approach; in one of these, it was performed in combination with a middle cranial fossa approach. Multilayer reconstruction was performed in both patients. No cerebrospinal fluid leak recurrences were observed during follow-up (17 and 19 months, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: Endonasal endoscopic management of well-selected petroclival cerebrospinal fluid leaks is feasible.

Intradural spinal cord tumors present many challenges to patients and the healthcare professionals providing treatment. Given the tumor\'s attachment to dural tissue, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are an anticipated challenge. If present, CSF leaks can lead to infection and increased length of stay. A 59-year-old female admitted for surgical excision of a cervical schwannoma developed a persistent postoperative CSF leak. Following multiple surgical attempts to repair the dura with concomitant lumbar drainage for decompression, a ventriculostomy with conversion to a shunt was performed. Following the procedure, the patient\'s wound healed completely 6 weeks after her initial surgery. Ventriculostomy is a viable option for treatment of persistent CSF wound drainage after excision of cervical schwannoma surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to discuss the presentation, examination, diagnosis, and treatment of a case of intracranial hypotension presenting to a chiropractic office as acute severe headache and neck pain.
METHODS: Flexion injury during a weight lift resulted in a severe postural headache and upper cervical spine pain in a 51-year-old man. The patient presented with unusual symptoms, but normal palpatory findings, and a lack of postural distortion.
RESULTS: Based on the history, symptoms, and examination findings, the patient was referred for an emergency medical evaluation. A diagnosis of intracranial hypotension was made, and a dural leak was confirmed by radioisotope cisternography. The patient made a complete recovery.
CONCLUSIONS: Intracranial hypotension can cause headache and neck pain that may appear to be musculoskeletal in nature. The key symptom is the orthostatic nature of the headache.