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Background: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is currently used as a treatment for different types of hydrocephalus. However, the anatomical endoscopic variants of the third ventricle floor (3VF), as well as their surgical implications, have been underrated. The anatomic variations of the 3VF can influence the technique and the success rate of the ETV. The purpose of this article is to describe the anatomical variations of 3VF, assess their incidence, and discuss the implications for ETV. Methods: Intraoperative videos of 216 patients who underwent ETV between January 2012 and February 2020 at Hospital Infantil Universitario de San José, Bogotá, Colombia were reviewed. One hundred and eighty patients who met the criteria to demonstrate the type of 3VF were selected. Results: 3VF types were classified as follows: (1) Thinned, (2) thickened, (3) partially erased, (4) globular or herniated, and (5) narrowed. Conclusion: Knowledge of anatomical variations of the 3VF is paramount for ETV and it influences the success rate of the procedure.

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Objectives To evaluate the surgical management outcomes in pediatric patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs) who underwent intended biopsies and partial resections in a middle-income country, highlighting the barriers and challenges of these procedures for further investigation. Methods A retrospective review of a prospective acquired series of patients who underwent biopsy or resection for DIPG between January 2012 and June 2018 at our institution was performed. Results A total of 43 patients with posterior fossa tumors were identified. From these, seven pediatric DIPG cases were enrolled. Five were males. The median age was 5 years (range: 1–12 years). Only one patient (14.3%) had a ganglioglioma, while the others presented pilocytic and diffuse astrocytomas. Two (28.6%) patients had an intentional biopsy, and the other five (71.4%) had a partial resection. In the three (28.6%) patients who presented with associated hydrocephalus, the endoscopic third ventriculostomy was performed in the same surgical time. The median preoperative Lansky play-performance scale (LPPS) was 80 (range: 60–100), while the median postoperative LPPS was 23 (range: 7–52). Conclusion A decrease in overall survival was noted compared with data reported in other series. Multifactorial barriers were discussed including the social, geographic, and economic features that may influence on final outcomes.

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Objective: The aim of this work is to define a methodological strategy for the minimally invasive tubular retractor (MITR) parafascicular transulcal approach (PTA) for the management of brain tumors sited in eloquent areas. Methods: An observational prospective study was designed to evaluate the benefits of PTA associated with MITRs, tractography and intraoperative cortical stimulation. They study was conducted from June 2018 to June 2021. Information regarding white matter tracts was processed, preventing a potential damage during the approach and/or resection. All patients older than 18 years who had a single brain tumor lesion were included in the study. Patients with a preoperative Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score greater than 70% and a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score > 14 points were included. Results: 72 patients were included in the study, the mean age was 49.6, the most affected gender was male, 12.5% presented aphasia, 11.1% presented paraphasia, 41.6% had motor deficit, 9.7% had an affection in the optic pathway, the most frequently affected region was the frontal lobe (26.3%), the most frequent lesions were high-grade gliomas (34.7%) and the measurement of the incisions was on average 5.58 cm. Of the patients, 94.4% underwent a total macroscopic resection and 90.2% did not present new postoperative neurological deficits. In all cases, a PTA was used. Conclusion: Tubular minimally invasive approaches (MIAs) allow one to perform maximal safe resection of brain tumors in eloquent areas, through small surgical corridors. Future comparative studies between traditional and minimally invasive techniques are required to further investigate the potential of these surgical nuances.

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