The Hijdra grading system had the best interobserver agreement and was a better independent early predictor for 6 month clinical outcome than the other systems. A Hijdra score ≥22 was associated with poor outcome.

Objectives:To determine the frequency of primary ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection among patients treated at neurosurgical centres of the Hospital Authority and to identify underlying risk factors.Methods: This multicentre historical cohort study included consecutive patients who underwent primary ventriculoperitoneal shunting at a Hospital Authority neurosurgery centre from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2011. The primary endpoint was shunt infection, defined as: (1) the presence of cerebrospinal fluid or shunt hardware culture that yielded the pathogenic micro-organism with associated compatible symptoms and signs of central nervous system infection or shunt malfunction; or (2) surgical incision site infection requiring shunt reinsertion (even in the absence of positive culture); or (3) intraperitoneal pseudocyst formation (even in the absence of positive culture). Secondary endpoints were shunt malfunction, defined as unsatisfactory cerebrospinal fluid drainage that required shunt reinsertion, and 30-day mortality.Results: A primary ventriculoperitoneal shunt was inserted in 538 patients during the study period. The mean age of patients was 48 years (range, 13-88 years) with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1. Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage was the most common aetiology (n=169, 31%) followed by intracranial tumour (n=164, 30%), central nervous system infection (n=42, 8%), and traumatic brain injury (n=27, 5%). The mean operating time was 75 (standard deviation, 29) minutes. Shunt reinsertion and infection rates were 16% (n=87) and 7% (n=36), respectively. The most common cause for shunt reinsertion was malfunction followed by shunt infection. Independent predictors for shunt infection were: traumatic brain injury (adjusted Primary ventriculoperitoneal shunting outcomes: a multicentre clinical audit for shunt infection and its risk factorsNew knowledge added by this study • The local rate of infection in ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts meets international standards.• Vancomycin antibiotic prophylaxis is a risk factor for shunt infection and is a novel finding.• VP shunt inserted as an emergency procedure is the strongest risk factor for infection. Implications for clinical practice or policy• There is a need to review prophylactic vancomycin administration in terms of timing, dosage, and the need for its combination with another antibiotic.• Emergency VP shunting is not recommended. Shunts should be implanted whenever possible as an elective procedure.• A comprehensive local shunt surgery protocol to reduce the risk of shunt infection is recommended.

Asbtract Background There are limited neuroprotective treatment options for patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Cerebrolysin, a brain-specific proposed pleiotropic neuroprotective agent, has been suggested to improve global functional outcomes in ischemic stroke. We investigated the efficacy, safety and feasibility of administering Cerebrolysin for SAH patients. Methods This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center, parallel-group pilot study. Fifty patients received either daily Cerebrolysin (30 ml/day) or a placebo (saline) for 14 days (25 patients per study group). The primary endpoint was a favorable Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) of 5 to 8 (moderate disability to good recovery) at six-months. Secondary endpoints included the modified Ranking Scale (mRS), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) score, occurrence of adverse effects and the occurrence of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Results No severe adverse effects or mortality attributable to Cerebrolysin were observed. No significant difference was detected in the proportion of patients with favorable six-month GOSE in either study group (odds ratio (OR): 1.49; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43–5.17). Secondary functional outcome measures for favorable six-month recovery i.e. a mRS of 0 to 3 (OR: 3.45; 95% CI 0.79–15.01) were comparable for both groups. Similarly, there was no difference in MOCA neurocognitive performance (p-value: 0.75) and in the incidence of DCI (OR: 0.85 95% CI: 0.28–2.59). Conclusions Use of Cerebrolysin in addition to standard-of-care management of aneurysmal SAH is safe, well tolerated and feasible. However, the neutral results of this trial suggest that it does not improve the six-month global functional performance of patients. Clinical trial registration Name of Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov Trial Registration Number: NCT01787123. Date of Registration: 8th February 2013.

Cerebral perivascular spaces (PVSs), otherwise known as Virchow-Robin spaces, are interstitial fluid-filled channels, <2 mm in diameter that form around arterial perforators as they course from the cortex into the brain parenchyma. In contrast, a giant tumefactive PVS is a rare entity comprising of clusters of such channels larger than 15mm resembling a neoplastic process as the name suggests. We report a 55-year-old male who presented with unsteady gait, cognitive decline, and left lower limb weakness for 6 months. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a noncontrast enhancing multicystic intraaxial lesion of the right mesencephalon-diencephalon junction extending into the anterior third ventricle causing obstructive hydrocephalus. A ventriculoperitoneal shunt was inserted with a complete reversal of his neurological symptoms. Such PVSs can easily be misidentified for a cystic tumor, and their unique radiological features are discussed to prevent unnecessary surgery. We also demonstrate that when they cause hydrocephalus and midbrain compression symptoms cerebrospinal fluid shunting alone can result in excellent outcomes.

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