Context: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is an accepted procedure for the treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus. The role of endoscopic treatment in the management of shunt malfunction was not extensively evaluated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the success rate of ETV in pediatric patients formerly treated by ventriculoperitoneal (V-P) shunt implantation. Materials and Methods: Thirty-three patients with their first shunt failure and obstructive hydrocephalus in brain imaging between 2008 and 2014 were enrolled in this study. Results: The most common causes of hydrocephalus in these patients were aqueductal stenosis and myelomeningocele with or without associated shunt infection. Of these 33 cases, 20 ETV procedures were successful, and 13 cases needed shunt revision after ETV failure. There was no serious complication during ETV procedures. The follow-up period of patients with successful ETV was 6–50 months (mean 18 months). The time interval between ETV and new shunting subsequent to ETV failure was 24.4 days (10–95). Conclusions: ETV can be considered as an alternative treatment paradigm in patients with previous shunt or new shunt failure with an acceptable success rate of 6o%, although long-term follow-up is needed for these patients.

Study Design: Systematic review. Objective: To compare outcomes of complete versus incomplete resection in primary intramedullary spinal cord ependymoma. Methods: A comprehensive search of the MEDLINE, CENTRAL, and Embase databases was conducted by 2 independent investigators. Random-effect meta-analysis and meta-regression with seven covariates were performed to evaluate the reason for the heterogeneity among studies. We also used individual patient data in the integrative analysis to compare complete and incomplete resection based on 4 outcomes: progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), postoperative neurological improvement (PNI), and follow-up neurological improvement (FNI). Results: A total of 23 studies were identified, including 407 cases. Significant heterogeneity among included studies was observed in risk estimates (I2 for PFS, FNI, and PNI were 49.5%, 78.3%, and 87.2%, respectively). The mean follow-up time across cases was 48.6 ± 2.35 months. Cox proportional multivariable analysis revealed that the complete resection can prolong PFS (model, hazard ratio = 0.18, CI 0.05-0.54, P = .004,) and improve the FNI (binary logistic regression, adjusted odds ratio = 16.5, CI 1.6-171, P = .019). However, PNI and OS were similar in patients with incomplete resected spinal cord ependymoma compared with complete resection (binary logistic regression respectively and Cox multivariable analysis, P > .5). Conclusion: The data presented in this study showed that OS was not significantly affected by the degree of surgery. However, complete resection of intramedullary ependymomas provides the optimal outcomes with longer PFS and better long-term neurological outcomes than incomplete resection.

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Aims:Antiepileptic drugs are the main therapy for epilepsy. However, the incidence of adverse effects (AEs) results in treatment discontinuation. The aim of this study is evaluating the factors involved in discontinuation of antiepileptic drugs.Settings and Design:We studied 2797 epileptic patients who consumed levetiracetam (LEV), oxcarbazepine (OXC), topiramate (TPM), zonisamide (ZNS), rufinamide, and lacosamide to evaluate the discontinuation because of AEs.Statistical Analysis Used:Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test.Results:This study showed the rate of discontinuation due to adverse reactions as follows: TPM (7.10%), OXC (4.5%), ZNS (1.8%), and LEV (1.6%) (Chi-square analysis, P < 0.0001). Our study also showed that 1.35% of the patients did not continue the therapy because of subjective experiences of the AEs. Furthermore, neurologic complications in TPM, skin rashes in OXC, and patients' subjective experiences in LEV prescription were the main reasons for nonadherence due to a AEs.Conclusions:AEs in newer antiepileptic drugs are extremely prevalent. Our observation revealed that skin rashes and paresthesia were the most probable causes of treatment discontinuation because of AEs.

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