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Mediastinal ganglion cell tumors in children
ABSTRACTS
graphic examination is emphasized, whereas the echoencephalography is not considered productive. As in adults, the treatment is surgical. The follow-up studies showed a restitutio ad integrum in three cases (four patients surviving).-A. Zimmermann
515
patients, and is advised to correct deformity and prevent progression of the lesion. Neglected hydrocephalus, acute infection, and brain damage are contraindications to surgery.-W. K. Sieber LARGE INTRA-CRANIAL TERRATOMA IN THE
LONG-TERM RESLTS IN THE TREATMENT OF
HYDROCEPHALOS. A. Carney, D. B. George, and D. A. Simpson. Proc. Paediatric Surgical Congress, Melbourne I:p65-74 (March), 1970. The paper is a review of 100 patients treated by ventriculo-atrial shunt during a 7-yr period at the Adelaide Children's Hospital. All children were followed for periods varying from 3 to 9 yr or until death. Twenty-two of the children died, half from complications related more or less to the shunt and half from complications related more or less to the basic disease. Long-term follow-up was done on the surviving patients. Few of the parameters measured correlated with the severity of the hydrochephalus. Intelligence measured by tests and school achievements correlated with the underlying pathology. For example, there was a high incidence of mental retardation in hydrocephalus secondary to meningitus. More disabilities were almost entirely the result of spinal paralysis. Personalities of the children depended on the parents and on the degree of motor disabilities. In this series 23g of the children surviving more than 1 yr developed epileptic seizures. This high figure has been confirmed in other studies and the specific cause is, as yet, unknown. The authors emphasize that although the basic pathological condition producing hydrocephalus is more relevant for prognosis, delay in establishing control of hypdroeephalus is detrimental and failure to maintain control is very detrimental when shunt dependency is established.-F. Sewell FRONTOETHMOIDAL F~NCEPHALOMENINGOCEL.
Charas Suwanwela, Charu Sukabote, and Nitaya Suwanwela. Surgery 60:617625 (April), 1971. This report of 100 patients with anterior ancephalomeningoceles seen over an 8-yr period in Bangkok, Thailand, stresses the incidence (1/5000 births) in Southeast Asia and the relative rarity in the western world. Surgical treatment was carried out in 72
NEWBORN. D. Lachmann, K. ]eUinger, and M. Sunder-Paszmann. Z. Kinderchir. 9: 15-19, 1970. A rare case of intracranial teratoma is reported. The head shape was hydrocephalic. Pneumoencephalography showed a large cavity on the right side and absent lateral ventrical on the left. The child died on the 13th day as a result of intracranial pressure. Autopsy showed a large tumor in the region of the left side of the base of the brain weigh 300 g, with compression of the left cerebral hemisphere. This was histologically a tri-teratoma after the classification of Willis. According to the literature, the prognosis is bad. Only one successfully treated case has been reported so far.-S. Hoffman and H. B. Eckstein NEOPLASMS MEDIASTINAL GANGLION CELL TUMORS IN
CHILDREN. H. Win. Clatworthy and W. A. Newton. Proc. Paediatric Surgical Congress, Melbourne I: 185-194 (March), 1970. Malignant ganglion cell tumors that arise in the posterior mediastinum are two to three times more "curable" than neuroblastomas arising elsewhere in the body. In the series of 24 patients discussed and other series reviewed by the authors this favorable course is not related to the age of the patient, the stage of the disease, or even the type of treatment given. They recommend that surgery should be, above all, safe and need not be conducted along general "en-bloc resection techniques" to achieve satisfactory results. When patients had disseminated disease involving bone, control of the primary tumor did not alter the utimate outcome. Although cases were treated with cyelophosphamide and/or vincristine, there is no objective evidence that this chemotherapy favorably influenced curability. Chemotherapy is thought desirable because it is capable of prolonging the lives of children with metastatic disease.-F. Sewell
graphic examination is emphasized, whereas the echoencephalography is not considered productive. As in adults, the treatment is surgical. The follow-up studies showed a restitutio ad integrum in three cases (four patients surviving).-A. Zimmermann
515
patients, and is advised to correct deformity and prevent progression of the lesion. Neglected hydrocephalus, acute infection, and brain damage are contraindications to surgery.-W. K. Sieber LARGE INTRA-CRANIAL TERRATOMA IN THE
LONG-TERM RESLTS IN THE TREATMENT OF
HYDROCEPHALOS. A. Carney, D. B. George, and D. A. Simpson. Proc. Paediatric Surgical Congress, Melbourne I:p65-74 (March), 1970. The paper is a review of 100 patients treated by ventriculo-atrial shunt during a 7-yr period at the Adelaide Children's Hospital. All children were followed for periods varying from 3 to 9 yr or until death. Twenty-two of the children died, half from complications related more or less to the shunt and half from complications related more or less to the basic disease. Long-term follow-up was done on the surviving patients. Few of the parameters measured correlated with the severity of the hydrochephalus. Intelligence measured by tests and school achievements correlated with the underlying pathology. For example, there was a high incidence of mental retardation in hydrocephalus secondary to meningitus. More disabilities were almost entirely the result of spinal paralysis. Personalities of the children depended on the parents and on the degree of motor disabilities. In this series 23g of the children surviving more than 1 yr developed epileptic seizures. This high figure has been confirmed in other studies and the specific cause is, as yet, unknown. The authors emphasize that although the basic pathological condition producing hydrocephalus is more relevant for prognosis, delay in establishing control of hypdroeephalus is detrimental and failure to maintain control is very detrimental when shunt dependency is established.-F. Sewell FRONTOETHMOIDAL F~NCEPHALOMENINGOCEL.
Charas Suwanwela, Charu Sukabote, and Nitaya Suwanwela. Surgery 60:617625 (April), 1971. This report of 100 patients with anterior ancephalomeningoceles seen over an 8-yr period in Bangkok, Thailand, stresses the incidence (1/5000 births) in Southeast Asia and the relative rarity in the western world. Surgical treatment was carried out in 72
NEWBORN. D. Lachmann, K. ]eUinger, and M. Sunder-Paszmann. Z. Kinderchir. 9: 15-19, 1970. A rare case of intracranial teratoma is reported. The head shape was hydrocephalic. Pneumoencephalography showed a large cavity on the right side and absent lateral ventrical on the left. The child died on the 13th day as a result of intracranial pressure. Autopsy showed a large tumor in the region of the left side of the base of the brain weigh 300 g, with compression of the left cerebral hemisphere. This was histologically a tri-teratoma after the classification of Willis. According to the literature, the prognosis is bad. Only one successfully treated case has been reported so far.-S. Hoffman and H. B. Eckstein NEOPLASMS MEDIASTINAL GANGLION CELL TUMORS IN
CHILDREN. H. Win. Clatworthy and W. A. Newton. Proc. Paediatric Surgical Congress, Melbourne I: 185-194 (March), 1970. Malignant ganglion cell tumors that arise in the posterior mediastinum are two to three times more "curable" than neuroblastomas arising elsewhere in the body. In the series of 24 patients discussed and other series reviewed by the authors this favorable course is not related to the age of the patient, the stage of the disease, or even the type of treatment given. They recommend that surgery should be, above all, safe and need not be conducted along general "en-bloc resection techniques" to achieve satisfactory results. When patients had disseminated disease involving bone, control of the primary tumor did not alter the utimate outcome. Although cases were treated with cyelophosphamide and/or vincristine, there is no objective evidence that this chemotherapy favorably influenced curability. Chemotherapy is thought desirable because it is capable of prolonging the lives of children with metastatic disease.-F. Sewell