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57th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Neurosurgery
Joint Meeting with the Japanese Neurosurgical Society

German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)

11 - 14 May, Essen

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Endoscopic aqueductoplasty in children: long-term results

Endoskopische Aquäduktoplastie bei Kindern: Langzeitergebnisse

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  • corresponding author M.J. Fritsch - Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Campus Kiel, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel
  • H.M. Mehdorn - Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Campus Kiel, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. Japanische Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 57. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie e.V. (DGNC), Joint Meeting mit der Japanischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. Essen, 11.-14.05.2006. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2006. DocFR.12.03

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/dgnc2006/06dgnc080.shtml

Published: May 8, 2006

© 2006 Fritsch et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

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Objective: Endoscopic aqueductoplasty has become one possible treatment modality for hydrocephalus caused by aqueductal stenosis (AS). We present our long-term results in children who underwent aqueductoplasty.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed treatment and outcome of 18 paediatric patients who underwent endoscopic aqueductoplasty without or with stent. Surgeries were performed between July 1996 and December 2004. Mean age at time of surgery was 6 years and 8 months (4 months – 16 years). Mean follow-up is 38 months (12 – 88 months). 14 of the patients underwent aqueductoplasty for the treatment of isolated 4th ventricle.

Results: There were one permanent complication (dysconjugate gaze) and minor transient complications (postoperative high grade fever, transient conjugate gaze). Three patients who had undergone aqueductoplasty without stent had to be revised due to restenosis. Patients who underwent primary stent placement had a long stable clinical course, so far without further surgical revisions. All patients already had one supratentorial shunt in place.

Conclusions: Endoscopic aqueductoplasty is the treatment of choice for isolated 4th ventricle in children. The procedure is not indicated for primary treatment of hydrocephalus but for achieving communication between isolated ventricular compartments. Placement of a stent is mandatory to reduce or avoid early reclosure and the need for revisions. ETV does not present an alternative because it would not drain the isolated 4th ventricle compartment.