Hydrocephalus is a clinical disorder resulting from an imbalance between the production of CSF and its resorption, of which the latter is mostly a disadvantage. In rare cases of choroid plexus papilloma or carcinoma, hydrocephalus is due to an overproduction of CSF. Choroid plexus hyperplasia (CPH) is a distinct clinicopathological entity in which the enlarged choroid plexus produces large amounts of CSF. Historically, patients with CPH were treated by shunt procedures or by microsurgical removal of the choroid plexus, which is associated with a high complication rate. In this paper the authors show that endoscopic plexus coagulation can result in restoring the equilibrium of the intracranial fluid volumes, resulting in shunt independency. In this way, both the shunt-related complications and the bleeding risks of microsurgical plexectomy are avoided. In instances of hydrocephalus, thorough efforts should be made to demonstrate the underlying pathophysiology to choose the optimal treatment, of which shunt procedures should receive the least priority.

Mortality in the immediate postoperative period is 32% and is higher after gross total resection as compared to subtotal resection. Non-fatal postoperative complications are hypothalamic disorders and mental alterations. Gross total resection is the treatment of choice since no recurrence has been reported after macroscopically complete resection, but this is often difficult because of the location and adherence to the hypothalamus. The role of postoperative radiotherapy is uncertain. There is some indication that radiosurgery with or without conventional irradiation is superior to conventional radiation alone. Planned subtotal resection followed by stereotactic radiosurgery can be a safe and effective alternative in a patient in whom gross total resection is considered to be too risky. There is no report on the use of chemotherapy in the treatment of chordoid gliomas. More information about the optimal treatment strategy is needed, and more reports are also needed.

The supplementary motor area (SMA) syndrome is a frequently encountered clinical phenomenon associated with surgery of the dorsomedial prefrontal lobe. The region has a known motor sequencing function and the dominant pre-SMA specifically is associated with more complex language functions; the SMA is furthermore incorporated in the negative motor network. The SMA has a rich interconnectivity with other cortical regions and subcortical structures using the frontal aslant tract (FAT) and the frontostriatal tract (FST). The development of the SMA syndrome is positively correlated with the extent of resection of the SMA region, especially its medial side. This may be due to interruption of the nearby callosal association fibres as the contralateral SMA has a particular important function in brain plasticity after SMA surgery. The syndrome is characterized by a profound decrease in interhemispheric connectivity of the motor network hubs. Clinical improvement is related to increasing connectivity between the contralateral SMA region and the ipsilateral motor hubs. Overall, most patients know a full recovery of the SMA syndrome, however a minority of patients might continue to suffer from mild motor and speech dysfunction. Rarely, no recovery of neurological function after SMA region resection is reported.

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A newborn presented on day 15 of life with an epidural hematoma, extending through a diastatic sutura squamosa in an external cephalhematoma. There was no skull fracture. The cephalhematoma was punctured twice with 24-h interval, reducing both the cephalhematoma and the epidural component. In the absence of neurological signs or symptoms, aspirating a cephalhematoma to evacuate the communicating epidural hematoma in a newborn infant may avoid more invasive surgical intervention.