Categorizing suspected cerebrospinal fluid infections as contaminants, colonization, suspected or confirmed VRIs, or ventriculitis more accurately describes the patient's clinical condition and may indicate different management strategies. A prospective, randomized clinical trial is required to further evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic catheter exchange in limiting the incidence of VRIs during prolonged catheterization. Although prophylactic catheter exchange remains a practice option, the available data suggest that this procedure is not currently justified.

Background-Early multicenter trials of Guglielmi detachable coil embolization of posterior circulations aneurysms have been followed by the publication of numerous single-center experiences. Summary of Review-We performed a MEDLINE literature search and extracted data from single-center reports containing at least 10 posterior circulation aneurysms. Twelve reports (495 aneurysms) were specific to the posterior circulation. Eighty-two percent of aneurysms arose near the basilar apex. Eighty-one percent of patients harbored unruptured aneurysms or presented in good clinical condition. Sixty-three percent of lesions were small, and 41% exhibited a narrow neck. Coil deposition was achieved in 97.6% of cases. Procedural complication and morbidity rates were 12.5% and 5.1%, respectively. Procedural and 30-day mortality rates were 1.4% and 6.7%, respectively. Complete aneurysm occlusion was achieved in 47.6%, near-complete occlusion (90% to 99%) in 43.4%, and incomplete occlusion in 9.0% of cases. There were a total of 52 recurrences (22.2%) in a subset of 234 evaluable patients. Ninety-two percent of these aneurysms exhibited wide necks. The annual risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage after embolization was 0.8%. Eighty-five percent of patients achieved functional independence, while only 5.3% lived dependent lifestyles. The overall mortality rate was 9.8%. Conclusions-The

These data demonstrate a correlation between soluble ICAM-1 levels and functional outcome following aneurysmal SAH that appears to be, at least in part, independent of the initial hemorrhage.

These data suggest a role for ICAM-1 in the pathophysiology of cerebral vasospasm or its ischemic sequelae. As this relationship is further elucidated, adhesion molecules such as ICAM-1 may provide novel therapeutic targets in the prevention of vasospasm or its ischemic consequences.

Meningiomas of the third ventricle are a rare subtype of pineal region tumor that arise from the posterior portion of the velum interpositum, the double layer of pia mater that forms the roof of the third ventricle. The authors review the literature concerning these meningiomas and present a case in which the lesion was resected via the supracerebellar–infratentorial approach. The relationship of the tumor to the deep venous system and the splenium of the corpus callosum guides the selection of the most advantageous surgical approach. Posterior displacement of the internal cerebral veins demonstrated on preoperative imaging provides a strong rationale for use of the supracerebellar–infratentorial approach.