Background: Postoperative cranial wound infections are a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and financial burden, especially in developing countries. Methods: We prospectively studied 86 patients in a randomized trial; 39 patients received one gram of topical vancomycin powder in the subgaleal space while 47 matched control patients did not. Both groups received identical intraoperative and post-operative care. The primary outcome variable was the postoperative wound infections rate factored by cohort. Secondary outcomes were the timing of infection and the rate of adverse events. Results: Adding topical vancomycin was associated with a significantly lower rate of infection than the standard of care alone (2.6% [1/39] vs. 14.9% [7/47], P =.004). No adverse reactions occurred. Conclusion: Topical vancomycin is safe, and effective in the prevention of surgical site infections following craniotomy. These findings have broad consequences for neurosurgery practice, especially in developing countries with high incidence of head trauma.

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Objective : To describe the surgical management and postoperative outcomes in infants with metopic synostosis. Methods : We conducted a 5 years retrospective chart review of patients who underwent surgical correction of metopic synostosis at two university hospitals in Egypt during the period between June 2014 and June 2019. The study is conducted to 18 children. The type of surgical procedures and postoperative outcomes were assessed in all patients. Results : Five cases (27.8%) underwent endoscopic-assisted suturectomy, 10 cases (55.6%) underwent craniofacial reconstruction, and three cases (16.6%) underwent open burring of the metopic ridge. Fifteen patients underwent one surgery and three patients (16.6%) who need second operation. Ten patients (55.6%) had class I Whitaker classification. Conclusion : Regardless of type of surgery, the outcomes of surgical correction of metopic synostosis are excellent with only a few patients require revision or develop major complications.

Ventriculoperitoneal shunting is the main way used for extra-thecal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion. Despite being the main corner stone of treating different types of hydrocephalus, VP shunts has unfortunately a lot of complications making surgeries to treat these complications much more than initial shunt insertions.Methods:It is a clinical retrospective observational study that was conducted on 221 patients wth congenital hydrocephalus of both genders with age ranging from 0 to 18 yrs old who came with symptoms and signs of shunt complications and were primarily shunted at Benha university hospital between 2016 and 2019. A complete clinical assessment was done, history taking, a final diagnosis was made, and a treatment of individual patients was planned accordingly. Patients were followed up till the end of the study post-operatively. Data was analyzed using the SPSS (version 16.0). VP shunt was inserted for 221 patients. 113 (51.1%) patients had various forms of complications. Obstructive complications accounts for the most common complications as they happened in 48 (42.5%) of complicated patients followed by infective complications as they appeared in 27 (24%) patients.Conclusions: Despite .great revolution in the field of neurosurgery in the past 100 years and sincere efforts from neurosurgeons worldwide , shunt complications still common among shunted patients.Background Hydrocephalus is regarded as an imbalance in the formation and absorption of CSF to a sufficient magnitude producing accumulation of CSF fluid with in ventricular system of the brain leading to an elevation of intracranial pressure. Compensatory adjustments especially in very young subjects may occur that may reduce prevailing CSF pressure to normal range on count of functioning brain tissue [1]. Hydrocephalus is the second most common congenital brain malforma-tion [2]. Congenital hydrocephalus is type of hydrocephalus that is present or its underlying cause at birth. majority of cases are attributed to aqueductal stenosis , chiarri malformation , dandy walker malformation ,arachnoid cyst. approximately 55% of all cases of congenital hydrocephalus are due to Primary aqueductal stenosis whereas aqueductal stenosis secondary to neoplasm, infection, or hemorrhage accounts for another 5% [4]. Till now , the standard treatment of hydrocephalus is ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The technique of using the peritoneal cavity for CSF absorption in ventriculoperitoneal shunting (VPS) was developed by Kausch in 1908 [3]. Al-though VPS insertion is the most common neurosurgical Procedure done worldwide, complication rates in Children are high ranging from 10% to 100% [11]. The advent of endoscopic third ventriculostomy has gained popularity due to the high complication and failure rates of ventriculoperitoneal shunt [12]. VP shunts are prone to a lot of complications such as mechanical blockage, shunt infection, shunt migration, and various abdominal complications [13].

Background Data: Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a rare situation and is one of the few surgical emergencies in neurosurgery. While L4-L5 disc is the most common cause of CES, ependymoma and schwannoma are the most common tumors affecting cauda equina. Purpose: To present our experience and outcome of management of cauda equina tumors. Study Design: A retrospective clinical case study. Patients and Methods: We operated upon 22 cases with known cauda equina tumors at our institution in the period between October 2016 and April 2020. All patients were subjected to detailed general, neurological, and radiological evaluation both preoperatively and postoperatively according to our follow-up protocol. Moreover, the modified McCormick scale (MMS) has been used for pre-and postoperative functional evaluation. Patients underwent operation using the posterior midline approach, with neuromonitoring applied in 50% of patients. Results: The mean age was 44 ± 12.5 years. Nine (41%) patients were female and 13 (59%) were male. Ninety-one percent of patients presented with radiculopathy. Fifty percent of cases presented with schwannoma. Growth total tumor resection was achieved in 20 cases (91%). The last follow-up showed marked improvement in radiculopathy, motor power deficit, and MMS compared to preoperative values. Immediate postoperative motor power deterioration was reported in two cases. Recurrence was reported in one case of ependymoma at a two-year follow-up visit that underwent operation with no further recurrence after 1-year follow-up. Conclusion:The data of this study may suggest that most cauda equina tumors are benign and favorable outcome could be achieved in small-sized lesions with a short history and good preoperative clinical status. (2020ESJ220)