Transient mutism has been known as a rare complication following a posterior fossa approach to cerebellar tumors and its cause has not been clearly elucidated. The cerebellar mutism is not accompanied by cranial nerve deficits and disorders of consciousness. Since 1985 only 23 cases of mutism following removal of a cerebellar tumor in children have been reported in the literature. Two additional cases have been operated upon in our department. Extensive injury to the vermian and paravermian cerebellar area, involving the hemispheric cortex, cerebellar peduncles, fibers from the dentato-thalamocortical pathway, and dentate and interpositum nuclei may be the most important anatomical substrate of mutism. The mechanism of such transient mutism seems to be a complex of two or more factors (vascular disturbances due to manipulation or retraction of the cerebellar region around the IV ventricle and emotional factors). On the basis of these 25 cases the major features of the cerebellar mutism are discussed.

PALAVRAS-CHAVETraumatismo cranioencefálico. ABSTRACT Guidelines for prehospital and Emergency Department management of traumatic head injuries KEYWORDSBrain injury.

The authors describe a case of an infant with congenital factor X deficiency. The patient presented with a central nervous system hemorrhage followed by hydrocephalus. He underwent a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and, during the postoperative period, developed a spontaneous epidural hematoma, which was evacuated. The clinical and pathophysiological aspects of this case are discussed based on a literature review.

This chapter emphasizes some aspects of the Brazilian Guidelines for the Assessment of Head Injury Patients, written based on the experience of the Emergency Service, Neurosurgical Division of the University of São Paulo Medical School Hospital, and sponsored by the Brazilian Society of Neurosurgery. These guidelines approach the management of head-injury patients from their initial assessment in the Emergency Room until the final suggested clinical or surgical management. The Brazilian Guidelines represents our efforts to provide the basis for a common unified data collection system, which may allow cooperative studies in the future.

In the present study, we have evaluated the use of intraventricular pressure catheters in thalamic and ganglionic hemorrhages. Ten patients admitted in our Emergency Department in Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) equal or below 13 enrolled the study (at least one point should have been lost in the eye opening score to exclude purely aphasic patients that were fully alert). After a complete clinical and neurological evaluation, computed tomography scans were obtained and the volume of the hematomas, as well as presence or absence of hydrocephalus, were considered. Intraventricular pressure catheters connected in parallel to external derivation systems were implanted and patients were thereafter sent to the ICU. Patients that presented mass effect lesions with sustained increased ICP levels or clinical and neurological deterioration were submitted in addition, to the surgical evacuation of the hematomas. Clinical evolution, complications and the rehabilitation of the patients were recorded. Clinical outcome was assessed with the Glasgow Outcome Score. In all but three patients the initial intracranial pressure levels were bellow 20 mmHg (mean for all patients was 14.1 +/- 6.5 mmHg). Notwithstanding, these three patients were extremely difficult to treat. For this group of patients mortality was 100%. Among the patients that presented ICP levels bellow 20 mmHg, 04 developed hydrocephalus and 03 did not display ventricular dilation. As expected, the major benefits concerning the intraventricular pressure catheters connected in parallel with external derivation systems were observed in the group of patients that presented ICP levels bellow 20 mmHg and had hydrocephalus. Mild non-statistically significant correlations for all the three groups were achieved either when the initial GCS and ICP levels (r=-0.28, p=0.43) or when ICP levels and the volumes of the hematomas were compared (r=0.38, p=0.28). In addition, no significant correlations were observed concerning the final outcome of the patients and the variables previously evaluated.

The authors studied 58 patients, under 12 years of age, admitted to the Emergency Room of the Sao Paulo University Hospital between September 1987 and November 1991 with the diagnosis of traumatic extradural hematoma. Emphasis was given to the etiology of injury, the time interval from head injury to emergency room evaluation, the clinical features and the outcome after surgical and nonsurgical management. The site of hematoma was defined and correlated with the presence of skull fractures. Computerized tomography is the main diagnostic method, although it is not definitive. Fifteen patients were treated nonsurgically according to rigid clinical and radiological parameters. The overall mortality rate was 3.4%.

RESUMO -Os lipomas intracranianos geralmente se localizam no corpo caloso e raramente apresentam expansão para a região subgaleal. Revisão da literatura mostrou que apenas oito casos foram descritos em que o lipoma do corpo caloso se estendia para localização extracraniana através de falha óssea frontal. As manifestações clínicas mais comuns nesses pacientes eram crises convulsivas e retardo mental. A literatura mostra que a ressecção do lipoma de corpo caloso geralmente leva a resultados catastróficos, devendo ser restrita a porção extracraniana do tumor. O caso relatado é de uma criança portadora desta entidade, sem manifestação clínico-neurológica e que foi submetida a ressecção cirúrgica da porção subcutânea do lipoma com finalidade cosmética.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: corpo caloso, lipoma intracraniano, osso frontal, falha óssea. Lipoma of the corpus callosum with extracranial extension through a frontal bone defectSUMMARY -Intracranial lipoma are usually localized in the corpus callosum and rarely extends to the subgaleal region. Only eight cases of lipoma of the corpus callosum with extracranial extension were reported in the literature. Seizures and mental retardation were the most common clinical findings in these patients. Data from the literature show that resection of intracranial lipoma has catastrophic results. The resection must be restricted to the extracranial portion. We report a child with lipoma of the corpus callosum with extracranial extension with no neurologic deficit submitted to resection of the extracranial extension.KEY WORDS: corpus callosum, intracranial lipoma, frontal bone, bone defect.O lipoma intracraniano é patologia pouco freqüente sendo muitas vezes diagnosticado de forma incidental após necrópsia 6 . Topograficamente situam-se principalmente nas regiões anteriores do corpo caloso e sua expansão para o espaço subgaleal através de orifício da tábua óssea é raro.Somente 8 casos desta patologia foram encontrados em revisão cuidadosa da literatura especializada, justificando portanto o relato deste caso. RELATO DO CASOAAS, paciente de 1 ano e 4 meses de idade, sexo masculino, nascido de parto a termo, com massa na região frontal esquerda (E), de crescimento lento e progressivo. O exame clínico neurológico revelava somente tumoração de consistência amolecida medindo 5x5x3 cm localizada na região frontal E, iniciando-se a partir da linha média, não pulsátil e que aumentava de volume com o choro.

RESUMO -As fraturas com afundamento da calota craniana (FAC) são relativamente frequentes e seu tratamento neurocirúrgico está bem estabelecido, porém pouca atenção tem sido dada a esta patologia na faixa etária de 0 a 2 anos de idade. Este estudo baseia-se na análise retrospectiva de 43 pacientes com FAC e idade entre 0 e 2 anos. As principais causas da FAC foram as quedas, seguidas pelos atropelamentos. A maioria dos pacientes foi admitida em estado de alerta. O osso craniano mais frequentemente acometido foi o parietal (55,8%). A maioria apresentava FAC tipo 1, isto é, aquela na qual o osso deprimido permanece conectado à calota craniana. Tratamento cirúrgico foi instituído em 69,8% dos casos. A incidência de lesões encefálicas associadas foi mais baixa do que a relatada na literatura. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: fratura com afundamento craniano, crianças, traumatismo crânio-encefálico.Depressed skull fractures in children under two years old: retrospective study of 43 cases SUMMARY -Depressed skull fractures (DSF) in infancy and childhood are frequent but only a few articles make an analysis in children with age between 0 and 2 years. This is a retrospective study of 43 patients with DSF and age ranged from 0 to 2 years. Falls and traffic accidents were the most common causes. Most patients were admitted in alert state. 69.8% of the patients were submitted to surgical treatment. The parietal bone was more frequently injured (55.8%). Most of the patients had type 1 DSF (the depressed bone remains connected to the cranial vault). The incidence of associated lesions of nervous system was lower than reported in the literature.KEY WORDS: depressed skull fractures, children, head injury.As fraturas com afundamento da calota craniana (FAC) são relativamente freqüentes e seu tratamento neurocirúrgico corresponde a significativa porcentagem das cirurgias neurotraumatológicas de urgência na população em geral. Revisão da literatura mostra que a incidência de FAC em crianças