• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.429-436
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• 2002

Hydrocepbalus may be an acquired or a congenital condition. We have studied the macroscopic and microscopic changes in the hydrocephalus of an inbred Sprague-Dawley rat at postnatal week 8. The animal suspected with the hydrocephalus showed clinical syndromes such as depression, severe ataxia, eye abnormalities, dome-shaped head, and persistent fontanelle. With the postmortem examination, the suspected animal was clearly revealed as a severe internal hydrocephalus. In this animal, severe ventriculomegaly was limited to the third and lateral ventricles, and cortical thining was most apparent in the parieto-occipital region. With the routine histological examination, brain tissue showed aqueductal obstruction, thinning of the cerebral cortex, severe ependymal damage, subependymal edema, damage of choroid plexus of fourth ventricle, enlarged cortical vessels, and expanded ventricles. Aqueductal obstruction was observed with the appearance of simple stenosis at the level of rostral colliculus. Subsequently, the other structures of brain such as septal nucleus, caudate nucleus, and hippocampus etc. were abnormally reconstructed by hydrocephalus. This study suggests that the hydrocephalus can be taken place by primary aqueductal obstruction and this type of hydrocephalus is classified as uncommunicating type. Though the mechanism of aqueductal obstruction is not clear, the morphological studies of this case may be helpful for the further study of hydrocephalus.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.292-295
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• 2006

Isolated fourth ventricle[IFV] is a rare entity producing symptoms of a progressive posterior fossa mass lesion. It is mainly reported in a patient who undergo shunt placement as its late complication. However, its surgical management has been difficult and its optional treatment remains controversial. We had an occasion to admit 19-year-old female to our hospital due to hydrocephalus : she had a history of meningitis when she was 2 years old. Ten years later she was diagnosed as hydrocephalus and managed by lateral ventriculo-peritoneal shunting procedure. Seven years after the procedure, the patient presented with headache, nausea, truncal ataxia and nystagmus. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance image scan demonstrated markedly enlarged fourth ventricle : and thus, neuroendoscopic aqueductoplasty and aqueductal stent insertion was performed. The authors present a case of an IFV after lateral ventriculo-peritoneal shunting for hydrocephalus, which was treated successfully with a neuroendoscopic surgery. The technique of this procedure is described below.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.377-380
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• 2006

Intradiploic epidermoid cysts of the cranium are rare, benign and slow growing lesion. However, these cysts may cause neurologic deficits due to mass effect. Intradiploic epidermoid cysts are thought to be derived from persistent ectodermal remnants present in the cranial bones during embryogenic development. Here, we report a case of an occipital intradiploic epidermoid cyst with posterior fossa extension. The patient developed intracranial hypertension associated with hydrocephalus due to aqueductal stenosis, and venous congestion secondary to compression of the torcular and the transverse sinus. The imaging studies included a computerized tomography[CT] venogram, which is essential for determining the pathophysiological mechanism of the clinical spectrum and for surgical planning. Near total removal was accomplished and the postoperative course was uneventful. Postoperative imaging studies demonstrated a reversal of the neural structures, but no patency of the sinus, which was presumably indicative of prolonged sinus stenosis. The patient gradually improved and was discharged free of symptoms.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.456-458
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• 2005

We report a case of hydrocephalus in a 8-year-old boy who presented bilateral hand tremor. The hydrocephalus was caused by the aqueductal stenosis due to expanding lacunae in the mesencephalothalamic area on MR findings. The tremor was improved after CSF drainage by spinal tap and ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The authors present the possible mechanism of hydrocephalus induced tremor.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.438-442
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• 2006

The sylvian aqueduct syndrome is a global rostral midbrain dysfunction induced by a transtentorial pressure gradient through the aquaeductus. Several months after ventriculoperitoneal shunt, a patient with hydrocephalus began experiencing a constellation of midbrain dysfunction symptoms, including bradykinesia, medial longitudinal fasciculus syndrome, third nerve palsy, and mutism. These were indicative of cerebral aqueduct syndrome. In addition, the patient showed posture-dependent underdrainage or overdrainage. All symptoms were resolved after distal catheter elongation and floating cranioplasty. We present a case of reversible parkinsonism, which developed in a patient with shunted hydrocephalus and aqueductal stenosis, and discuss the diagnosis and treatment of the sylvian aqueduct syndrome. We also review the literature to address problems of drainage and potential treatment modalities.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.217-221
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• 2011

Objective : This paper presents data from a retrospective study of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) in patients with shunt malfunction and proposes a simple and reasonable post-operative protocol that can detect ETV failure. Methods : We enrolled 19 consecutive hydrocephalus patients (11 male and 8 female) who were treated with ETV between April 2001 and July 2010 after failure of previously placed shunts. We evaluated for correlations between the success rate of ETV and the following parameters : age at the time of surgery, etiology of hydrocephalus, number of shunt revisions, interval between the initial diagnosis of hydrocephalus or the last shunt placement and ETV, and the indwelling time of external ventricular drainage. Results : At the time of ETV after shunt failure, 14 of the 19 patients were in the pediatric age group and 5 were adults, with ages ranging from 14 months to 42 years (median age, 12 years). The patients had initially been diagnosed with hydrocephalus between the ages of 1 month 24 days and 32 years (median age, 6 years 3 months). The etiology of hydrocephalus was neoplasm in 7 patients; infection in 5; malformation, such as aqueductal stenosis or megacisterna magna in 3; trauma in 1; and unknown in 3. The overall success rate during the median follow-up duration of 1.4 years (9 days to 8.7 years) after secondary ETV was 68.4%. None of the possible contributing factors for successful ETV, including age (p=0.97) and the etiology of hydrocephalus (p=0.79), were statistically correlated with outcomes in our series. Conclusion: The use of ETV in patients with shunt malfunction resulted in shunt independence in 68.4% of cases. Age, etiology of hydrocephalus, and other contributing factors were not statistically correlated with ETV success. External ventricular drainage management during the immediate post-ETV period is a good means of detecting ETV failure.