Septation and focal dilatation of ventricles associated with cryptococcal meningoencephalitis

Management of entrapped temporal horn: Literature review and operative technique for endoscopic fenestration

CONTEXT

Entrapment of the temporal horn (TH) is rare condition that can lead to increased intracranial pressure, but there is no consensus on a standard treatment. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review of the reported cases of TH entrapment and describe our operative technique for endoscopic fenestrations of the lateral ventricle into the basal cisterns.

METHODS

We searched the databases Pubmed and Google scholar to find all studies reporting cases of entrapped TH and the subsequent treatment. Additionally, we report two illustrative cases of endoscopic fenestration with a step-by-step description of our surgical technique.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine studies with a total of 67 patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 36.5 years (SD± 21.9), and the female-to-male ratio was 1.5. The most frequent cause of TH entrapment was post-surgical scarring after tumor surgery (n= 30), and the most commonly reported treatment modality was endoscopic fenestration of the TH (n = 14). We observed an increasing use of endoscopic fenestration over time.

CONCLUSION

Entrapped TH is a rare condition often requiring surgical treatment. Neuronavigation-guided endoscopic fenestration of the ventricle into the basal cisterns appears to be a safe, efficient, and device-free technique that has gained importance over the past years.

Trapped temporal horn: From theory to practice, a systematic review of current understanding and future perspectives

Background

The Entrapped Temporal Horn (ETH) is characterized by localized enlargement of the temporal horn of the lateral ventricle of the brain. This study aimed to investigate the factors, development, prognosis, and effective treatment.

Methods

Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in major research databases. The inclusion criteria included patients of all ages with TTH diagnosis in cohort studies, case series, and case reports.

Results

Our study included 160 patients and 49 studies. The major causes of TTH were neoplastic lesions (42.3%), infections (22.3%), and cystic disease (13.08%). Of these cases, 71 were unrelated to cranial surgery, while 89 were unrelated to prior surgeries. Headache was the most common symptom (41.91%), followed by seizures (13.20%), drowsiness (12.50%) and memory loss (11.00%). Surgery was not required in 17 patients. Fenestration of the trapped temporal horn was performed in 24 patients, while VP/VA shunt surgeries were performed in the majority (57 patients) owing to favorable outcomes, lower revision rates, and extensive experience. However, TTH recurred in six of the 21 patients who underwent endoscopic ventriculocisternostomy. Tumors were the main cause, and isolated headache was the most frequent symptom. Ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VPS) are preferred because of their positive outcomes, lower revision rates, and wider expertise. Tumors near the trigonal area pose a higher risk.

Conclusion

Although TTH remains a rare condition, VPS continues to be the most widely preferred procedure among surgeons.

Entrapment of the temporal horn: case series and systematic review of literature

Entrapment of the temporal horn (ETH) is a form of focal, obstructive hydrocephalus. Etiology and clinical presentation are diversified. Though known since 1947, standard treatment has not yet been defined. The objective of our study was to perform a systematic review on ETH. Data from patients treated at our Institution from 2008 to 2019 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. A systematic PRISMA review of literature was also performed using PubMed and Google Scholar. 121 cases (mean age 41 years; M/F ratio 1/1) were analyzed. In 65 (vs 56) cases (53.7% vs 46.3%) ETH was not surgery related. Headache was the most common symptom (42%). "Major" treatments were (1) ventriculoperitoneal/ventriculoatrial shunt (42 cases, 34.7%), and (2) endoscopic ventriculocisternostomy (12 cases, 9.9%). In the first group, no perioperative complications were found, 39 patients (92.9%) had a favorable outcome, 3 patients (7.1%) died for the underlying disease, 4 cases (9.5%) went through revision; also considering the cases in which another procedure was performed as definitive treatment, shunt failures were 6 (13.6%). In the second group, 1 case (8.3%) developed a deep intracerebral hemorrhage, 11 cases (91.6%) had a favorable long-term outcome, 1 case (8.3%) had a favorable short-term outcome; also considering the cases in which another procedure was performed as definitive treatment, endoscopic ventriculocisternostomy failures were 6 (37.5%). Described as uncommon, ETH is probably underestimated. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are critical. VP shunt is still the most commonly performed treatment. Further randomized clinical trials are, however, needed to establish the gold standard.

Application of Sonography in the Diagnosis and Follow-Up of Trapped Temporal Horn of Lateral Ventricle: Two Case Reports

Trapped temporal horn of lateral ventricle (TTHLV) is a rare condition of isolated focal hydrocephalus. We report two cases with different presentations, etiologies, and surgical managements. The first case involved an extremely preterm male baby with a history of ventriculitis and intraventricular hemorrhage; he received external ventricle drainage twice due to obstructive hydrocephalus. TTHLV was detected by sonography. He received a ventriculoperitoneal shunt involving two catheters to bypass the adhesion site. There was no ventricular dilatation during 2 years of follow-up. The second case involved a term baby with an enlarged head; brain sonography revealed left focal hydrocephalus with TTHLV and mild midline shift. Neuroendoscopic cystoventriculostomy with fenestration from the left trigone to the frontal horn was performed and serial follow-up brain sonography for 3 months showed decreased ventricle size. The suitable surgical techniques for the management of TTHLV should be adjusted according to the patients’ condition to obtain more favorable outcomes. Brain sonography can be a useful tool for the diagnosis and for following up the surgical outcomes in infants with TTHLV.

Entrapment of the Temporal Horn as a Cause of Pure Wernicke Aphasia: Case Report

Entrapment of the temporal horn is an extremely rare pathologic condition occurring as a result of surgery for tumors, intraventricular infections, hemorrhage, or traumatic events involving the peritrigonal area. We report a case of a 58-year-old man who presented with pure Wernicke aphasia (never described before in the albeit rare cases of isolated temporal horn dilatation) that regressed completely following successful ventriculoperitoneal shunting. The relevant literature is also briefly reviewed.

Endoscopic temporal ventriculocisternostomy: an option for the treatment of trapped temporal horns

Entrapment of the temporal horn is a rare form of isolated hydrocephalus. Standard treatment has not yet been established for this condition, and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. The authors reviewed their prospectively maintained database to report their experience with endoscopic temporal ventriculocisternostomy. All endoscopic operations performed in the Department of Neurosurgery at Ernst Moritz Arndt University between March 1993 and August 2012 were reviewed, and a retrospective chart review of all patients with temporal ventriculocisternostomy was performed. Four patients were identified (3 children and 1 adult). In 3 patients, the condition developed after tumor resection, and in 1 patient it developed due to postmeningitic multiloculated hydrocephalus. In 2 patients, a recurrent trapped temporal horn developed. Refenestration was successful in one of these patients, and dilation in the trigone area with a subsequent stomy of the septum pellucidum was successful in the other. In 1 patient, postoperative meningitis developed, which was treated with antibiotics. Endoscopic temporal ventriculocisternostomy is an option in the treatment of trapped temporal horns. However, more experience is required to recommend it as the treatment of choice.

Management of entrapped temporal horn by temporal horn to prepontine cistern shunting

BACKGROUND

Entrapped temporal horn syndrome secondary to obstructive neoplastic lesions is most frequently treated by surgical excision of the offending lesion. Here we describe an alternate approach involving temporal horn to prepontine cistern shunting followed by radiosurgery of the offending lesion.

METHODS

A 41-year-old woman with a history of meningiomatosis presented with progressive, incapacitating headache. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed growth of a right trigone meningioma, causing entrapment of the right temporal horn. A ventricular catheter was placed using frame-based stereotaxy and image fusion computed tomography/MRI to connect the entrapped lateral ventricle to the prepontine cistern. The patient reported complete resolution of her symptoms after the procedure.

RESULTS

Postoperative MRI revealed decompression of the temporal horn. The trigonal meningioma was treated with stereotactic radiosurgery. The patient remained asymptomatic at the 2-year follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Trapped temporal horn syndrome secondary to obstructive neoplastic lesions can be treated by internal shunting followed by radiosurgery.

Persistence of cryptococcomas on neuroimaging

Three previously normal patients with cryptococcal meningitis had intracranial lesions on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging that persisted for >5 years after successful cure with antifungal drugs. Persistence of lesions on neuroimaging should not be misinterpreted as evidence of active cryptococcosis.

Endoscopically guided fenestration of the choroidal fissure for treatment of trapped temporal horn

In recent years endoscopic procedures have been used more frequently to treat loculated hydrocephalus. The trapped temporal horn, a specific type of loculation, has traditionally been treated by means of ventricular shunt placement. By opening up loculations, however, this procedure can be simplified or, in some cases, even avoided. In this report the author discusses a case of trapped temporal horn that was caused by fungal meningitis and treated using endoscopically guided fenestration of the choroidal fissure, leading to clinical and radiographic resolution of the syndrome. Using this simple procedure allows the surgeon to take advantage of normal temporal horn anatomy and landmarks, avoiding the scarred and distorted region of ventricular obstruction.

Cryptococcosis in the era of AIDS--100 years after the discovery of Cryptococcus neoformans

Although Cryptococcus neoformans and cryptococcosis have existed for several millennia, a century has passed since the discovery of this encapsulated yeast and its devastating disease. With the advent of the AIDS pandemic, cryptococcal meningitis has emerged as a leading cause of infectious morbidity and mortality and a frequently life-threatening opportunistic mycosis among patients with AIDS. Both basic and clinical research have accelerated in the 1990s, and this review attempts to highlight some of these advances. The discussion covers recent findings, current concepts, controversies, and unresolved issues related to the ecology and genetics of C. neoformans; the surface structure of the yeast; and the mechanisms of host defense. Regarding cell-mediated immunity, CD4+ T cells are crucial for successful resistance, but CD8+ T cells may also participate significantly in the cytokine-mediated activation of anticryptococcal effector cells. In addition to cell-mediated immunity, monoclonal antibodies to the major capsular polysaccharide, the glucuronoxylomannan, offer some protection in murine models of cryptococcosis. Clinical concepts are presented that relate to the distinctive features of cryptococcosis in patients with AIDS and the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cryptococcosis in AIDS patients.

[Neurocryptococcosis in childhood. Report of 3 cases in the 1st decade of life]

The authors report three cases of central nervous system cryptococcosis in children in the first decade of life, from Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Diagnosis was supported by demonstration of Cryptococcus neoformans with India-ink preparations of the spinal fluid and Sabouraud's media culture. Clinical presentation included acute, subacute and chronic forms. Increased intracranial pressure and hydrocephalus were the complications during the course of the disease, and a ventriculoperitoneal shunt was used in one case. Undernutrition was associated with all cases and tubercle bacillus infection with one. Specific therapy was administered to the three patients. One patient was cured and the other two died.