We have designed a novel device that facilitates the accurate placement of occipital ventricular catheters in ventriculoperitoneal shunt procedures. After 7 years of clinical use, this device has consistently demonstrated its simplicity, user-friendliness, and effectiveness. It enables both experienced surgeons and novices to confidently and accurately position the ventricular catheter to a satisfactory location.

The traditional freehand technique for external ventricular drain (EVD) placement is most frequently used, but remains the primary risk factor for inaccurate drain placement. As this procedure could benefit from image guidance, the authors set forth to demonstrate the impact of augmented-reality (AR) assistance on the accuracy and learning curve of EVD placement compared with the freehand technique.
Sixteen medical students performed a total of 128 EVD placements on a custom-made phantom head, both before and after receiving a standardized training session. They were guided by either the freehand technique or by AR, which provided an anatomical overlay and tailored guidance for EVD placement through inside-out infrared tracking. The outcome was quantified by the metric accuracy of EVD placement as well as by its clinical quality.
The mean target error was significantly impacted by either AR (p = 0.003) or training (p = 0.02) in a direct comparison with the untrained freehand performance. Both untrained (11.9 ± 4.5 mm) and trained (12.2 ± 4.7 mm) AR performances were significantly better than the untrained freehand performance (19.9 ± 4.2 mm), which improved after training (13.5 ± 4.7 mm). The quality of EVD placement as assessed by the modified Kakarla scale (mKS) was significantly impacted by AR guidance (p = 0.005) but not by training (p = 0.07). Both untrained and trained AR performances (59.4% mKS grade 1 for both) were significantly better than the untrained freehand performance (25.0% mKS grade 1). Spatial aptitude testing revealed a correlation between perceptual ability and untrained AR-guided performance (r = 0.63).
Compared with the freehand technique, AR guidance for EVD placement yielded a higher outcome accuracy and quality for procedure novices. With AR, untrained individuals performed as well as trained individuals, which indicates that AR guidance not only improved performance but also positively impacted the learning curve. Future efforts will focus on the translation and evaluation of AR for EVD placement in the clinical setting.

UNASSIGNED: Acute subdural hematoma in infants is often due to non-accidental causes such as shaken baby syndrome or abuse. Occasionally a rupture of the cerebral bridge veins after ventricular puncture can lead to a subdural hematoma in infant. In this article we report the very first case of acute subdural hematoma after ventricular puncture of cerebrospinal fluid.
METHODS: It is a 40-day-old male infant received at the pediatric emergency room for an infectious syndrome. An etiological assessment was carried out including a ventricular puncture of the cerebrospinal fluid. Two days after the puncture, the child develops a sudden alteration of consciousness during hospitalization, with a Blantyre coma score of 3/5. The CT scan performed showed a right subdural parieto-temporal hematoma associated with a right fronto-temporal parietal parenchymal hypodensity. A right temporo-parietal decompressive craniectomy was performed with evacuation of the acute subdural hematoma. Clinical improvement was obtained and the child was discharged after 3 weeks of hospitalization.
UNASSIGNED: Acute subdural hematoma post ventricular puncture is rarely reported in the literature. The mechanism would probably be a rupture of the bridging veins by sudden collapse of the parenchyma following rapid and excessive aspiration of cerebrospinal fluid. Its management is medico-surgical. This manuscript further demonstrates the importance of mastering the ventricular puncture technique which must be performed by an experienced neurosurgeon.
CONCLUSIONS: The ventricular puncture remains a delicate gesture which must be carried out by a qualified neurosurgeon because of the risks of complications such as an acute subdural hematoma.

Placement of a ventricular drain is one of the most common neurosurgical procedures. However, a higher rate of successful placements with this freehand procedure is desirable. The authors\' objective was to develop a compact navigational augmented reality (AR)-based tool that does not require rigid patient head fixation, to support the surgeon during the operation.
Segmentation and tracking algorithms were developed. A commercially available Microsoft HoloLens AR headset in conjunction with Vuforia marker-based tracking was used to provide guidance for ventriculostomy in a custom-made 3D-printed head model. Eleven surgeons conducted a series of tests to place a total of 110 external ventricular drains under holographic guidance. The HoloLens was the sole active component; no rigid head fixation was necessary. CT was used to obtain puncture results and quantify success rates as well as precision of the suggested setup.
In the proposed setup, the system worked reliably and performed well. The reported application showed an overall ventriculostomy success rate of 68.2%. The offset from the reference trajectory as displayed in the hologram was 5.2 ± 2.6 mm (mean ± standard deviation). A subgroup conducted a second series of punctures in which results and precision improved significantly. For most participants it was their first encounter with AR headset technology and the overall feedback was positive.
To the authors\' knowledge, this is the first report on marker-based, AR-guided ventriculostomy. The results from this first application are encouraging. The authors would expect good acceptance of this compact navigation device in a supposed clinical implementation and assume a steep learning curve in the application of this technique. To achieve this translation, further development of the marker system and implementation of the new hardware generation are planned. Further testing to address visuospatial issues is needed prior to application in humans.

Achieving optimal brain relaxation is paramount in aneurysm surgery. Despite proper positioning and the use of newer anesthetic drugs and the administration of decongestants, it is often not possible to achieve satisfactory relaxation, which can lead to neurological deficits owing to excessive brain retraction. The present study aimed to provide detailed surgical notes regarding the novel technique of temporal horn tapping for intraoperative ventriculostomy.
The hospital records of anterior circulation aneurysm surgery performed during the previous 5 years were retrieved. Only those cases in which we had used temporal horn tapping were included. Ventriculostomy was performed only in those cases in which the brain was tense despite the administration of decongestants. A small corticectomy was performed over the middle temporal gyrus and deepened to access the temporal horn.
This technique was used in 84 surgical cases. The mean patient age was 52.8 years. The male/female ratio was 1:1.4. Anterior communicating artery aneurysms were the most common. Adequate brain relaxation was satisfactorily achieved in all cases. Two patients had developed a small temporal hematoma attributable to the temporal corticectomy, both managed conservatively.
We believe that this new trajectory through the middle temporal gyrus to access the temporal horn is very safe because of the lack of proximity to any blood vessel or critical structures. We recommend the use of this technique during pterional approaches for acute aneurysmal surgery in the tight, bulging brain to achieve relaxation and avoid secondary complications such as retraction contusions and resultant cerebral edema.