Lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only proven therapeutic intervention for glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Despite advances in laser and microsurgical techniques, medical IOP reduction remains the first-line treatment option for the majority of patients with open-angle glaucoma. Prostaglandin analogs are the most efficacious topical agents and carry a remarkable safety profile. Topical beta-blockers, alpha-agonists, and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are often employed as adjunctive agents for further IOP control. Newer preserved and nonpreserved formulations are available and appear to be less toxic to the ocular surface. Oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, miotic agents, and hyperosmotics are infrequently used due to a host of potentially serious adverse events. Medical therapies on the horizon include rho-kinase inhibitors, neuroprotective interventions, and gene therapies.

Neurosurgery is one of the most demanding surgical specialties in terms of precision requirements and surgical field limitations. Recent advancements in robotic technology have generated the possibility of incorporating advanced technological tools to the neurosurgical operating room. Although previous studies have addressed the specific details of new robotic systems, there is very little literature on the strengths and drawbacks of past attempts, currently available platforms and prototypes in development. In this review, the authors present a critical historical analysis of the development of robotic technology in neurosurgery as well as a comprehensive summary of the currently available systems that can be expected to be incorporated to the neurosurgical armamentarium in the near future. Finally, the authors present a critical analysis of the main technical challenges in robotic technology development at the present time (such as the design of improved systems for haptic feedback and the necessity of incorporating intraoperative imaging data) as well as the benefits which robotic technology is expected to bring to specific neurosurgical subspecialties in the near future.

Object Intracranial arachnoid cysts are a relatively common benign intracranial pathology, accounting for as many as 0.75%–1% of nontraumatic CNS lesions. Although it has already been demonstrated that rupture of arachnoid cysts may lead to subdural hematomas/hygromas, no study to date has investigated benign extracerebral collection in infancy as a possible predisposing factor for further development of arachnoid cysts. Methods The authors performed a retrospective imaging and chart review of macrocephalic infants 12 months old or younger who were referred to neurosurgical care at OSF St. Francis Medical Center from 2003 to 2010, and who were diagnosed with benign extracerebral fluid collection in infancy on thin-slice (1-mm) head CT scans. Special attention was given to the investigation of risk factors for further development of de novo arachnoid cysts. Several epidemiological factors in the infants and mothers were analyzed, including gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery, mother's age at delivery, delivery complications, birth weight, age of macrocephaly development, degree of macrocephaly, family history of macrocephaly, prenatal and postnatal history of infection, fontanel status, presence of papilledema, previous history of head trauma, and smoking status. Imaging characteristics of the initial scans, such as location of subdural collection (frontal vs frontoparietal and frontotemporal) and presence of ventriculomegaly, were also evaluated. For those patients in whom arachnoid cysts were identified on subsequent CT scans, the size and location of the cysts were also analyzed. Results The authors identified 44 children with benign extracerebral fluid collection in infancy. From this group, over a mean follow-up of 13 months (range 6–13 months), 18 children developed intracranial arachnoid cysts (a 40.9% incidence of de novo development of arachnoid cysts), with 27.8% presenting with bilateral cysts. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, infants who presented with an extracerebral collection restricted to the bilateral frontal region were more likely to develop intracranial arachnoid cysts (p = 0.035) than those with collections involving the frontotemporal and frontoparietal regions (odds ratio [OR] = 5.73). Additionally, children with benign extracerebral fluid collections and plagiocephaly were more likely to develop intracranial arachnoid cysts (p = 0.043) than those without plagiocephaly (OR = 4.96). Conclusions This is the first report in the neurosurgical literature demonstrating that benign extracerebral fluid collections in infancy may constitute a significant risk factor for development of de novo arachnoid cysts. These findings support a 2-hit hypothesis for the development of arachnoid cysts, in which the combination of an embryological defect in arachnoid development followed by a second event leading to impairment of CSF fluid absorption in early childhood could lead to abnormal CSF dynamics and the consequent expansion of fluid collections in the intraarachnoid spaces.

Temporary shunting of infants with pseudo-meningocele constitutes a viable therapeutic alternative with favorable clinical outcomes and a low risk of shunt dependency similar to those of children with SDH.

A 26-year-old Caucasian man with no previous history of chemical injury presenting with an inability to open his right eye was investigated for mucous membrane pemphigoid and treated. Examination was notable for symblepharon of the right eye and impetigo-like lesions on the face and neck. A biopsy with immunohistochemical analysis was significant for linear deposits of C3 and immunoglobulin G at the level of the epithelial basement membrane, confirming the diagnosis of mucous membrane pemphigoid. Although mucous membrane pemphigoid classically presents bilaterally in women in the sixth and seventh decades of life, our patient was a young man with unilateral cicatrising conjunctivitis who may have been easily misdiagnosed without a high index of suspicion. A biopsy is required in cases of cicatrising conjunctivitis so that even atypical cases such as the one presented herein can be appropriately managed.

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