Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of total drainage time on the risk of catheter infection, and the predictive value of standard laboratory examinations for the diagnosis of bacteriologically recorded cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) infection during external ventricular drainage. Methods: During a three year period, all patients of the neurosurgical intensive care unit (ICU), who received an external ventricular drain, were prospectivly studied. Daily CSF samples were obtained and examined for cell count, glucose and protein content. Bacteriological cultures were taken three times a week, and serum sepsis parameters were determined. Results: 130 patients received a total of 186 external ventricular drains. The ventricular catheters were in place from one to 25 days (mean 7.1 days). In 1343 days of drainage, the authors recorded 41 positive bacteriological cultures in 21 patients between the first and the 22nd drainage day (mean 6.4). No significant correlation was found between drainage time and positive CSF culture. The only parameter that significantly correlated with the occurrence of a positive CSF culture was the CSF cell count (unpaired t test, p<0.05). Conclusions: Drainage time is not a significant risk factor for catheter infection. Increasing CSF cell count should lead to the suspicion of bacteriological drainage contamination. Other standard laboratory parameters, such as peripheral leucocyte count, CSF glucose, CSF protein, or serum sepsis parameters, are not reliable predictors for incipient ventricular catheter infection.

The efEects of gamma radiosurgery on 1060ut of l50 cases of skull base meningiomas which had been treated by gamma knife and followed − up for more than 3 years （ mean of 48 ． 2 months ）have been evaluated ． Overall results showed that partial resonse （ PR ） was found in 44 cases ， minor response （ MR ） in 9， no change （ NC ＞in 42 and progression （ PG ）in 11 ， Another words ， response rate was 41． 5％， control rate was 89． 6％ and progression rate was 10． 4％ ・ There found difEerences of the response among different locations；the response rate of C − P angle and CS − P ・・a ・ellar m ・ni・ gi ・mas sh ・ w ・ d high・ ・ th・n ・thers， ・b ・t ・・nt ・・ 1・at ・ w ・ ・ high・・ i ・ C − P ・ngle and t・ ・ t・ 「 i・l m ・n − i。 gi ・ m ・ ． P ・・ 9 ・essi ・n w ・・ f・・nd ・nly i ・ CS − P ・・a・ell・・ a・d p ・t… li ・・l m ・ni・ gi ・m ・・ Th ・ p ・・ gressi ・n ・at・ h・・ changed from O％ at less than 3 years of follow − up ， 10 ． 4 ％ at more than 3 years and 18． 2 ％ at more than 5 years ． The factors related to the progression are the tumor size ， the radiation dosis ， the locations and the tumor pathol − ogy Side ef 〔 ects were found in 4 cases （ 4． 6％ ） − that is radiation induced edema in one ， hearing deterioration in two and visual deterioration in one case within 2 years of treatment． （

In the Intraoperative Hypothermia for Aneurysm Surgery Trial, neither systemic hypothermia nor supplemental protective drug affected short- or long-term neurologic outcomes of patients undergoing temporary clipping.

For our sample of 30 patients, all three registration methods provided comparable distances to the target tissue for surgical procedures. Users may safely choose anatomic registration as a less costly and more time-efficient registration method for frameless stereotaxy.