No abstract

Radiation exposure early in life is associated with greater incidences of malignancy. Our goal was to quantify radiation exposure in shunt-treated hydrocephalus patients and study changes in the diagnostic modalities used. A single-center, retrospective analysis was performed, and 41 children treated for hydrocephalus using an adjustable ventriculoperitoneal shunt were identified. Diagnostics associated with hydrocephalus and other comorbidities were analyzed and radiation exposure was calculated. During 330.09 total shunt years, patients were exposed to a mean hydrocephalus-associated radiation dose of 3.93 mSv (range: 0–24.38 mSv), which amounted to a mean rate of 0.49 mSv per shunt year, respectively. Radiation exposure was greatest after shunt insertion in the first year of life. A continuous change from CT scans to MRIs could be seen over the study period, such that patients who underwent shunt insertion after 2017 were not exposed to additional hydrocephalus-associated radiation during their first year of life. Nevertheless, our patients, and a few individuals especially, seemed to be at higher risk for radiation sequelae. Our results suggest that CT scans should be substituted with MRIs, which decrease overall radiation exposure and can lead to zero additional radiation exposure during the first year of life after shunt insertion.

No abstract

Liquorzirkulationsstörungen und obliegt in erster Linie der endoskopischen Neurochirurgie. Historisch wurden die Grundsteine für die Neuroendoskopie bereits im frühen 20. Jahrhundert gelegt. Mit Hilfe eines Nasenspekulums beschrieb Walter Dandy 1918 die erfolgreiche Entfernung des Plexus choroideus aus dem Seitenventrikel und dem vierten Ventrikel.

Simple renal cysts are a scare entity in pediatric patients and their etiology is unknown in most cases. Usually, they are monitored with ultrasound and regular follow up of renal function. Surgical treatment is rarely indicated. We report the case of a newborn with a single giant renal cyst that could be treated successfully with drainage and sclerotherapy. Single giant renal cysts require careful investigation and monitoring. In cysts without communication to the pelvico-caliceal system, sclerotherapy by instillation of doxycycline is a therapeutic option.