Here we present a very rare case of a woman with a bone fragment in the third ventricle of the brain following compound-depressed skull fractures due to a road traffic accident. There are only few case reports of bullets and textiloma being removed from the third ventricle. Following operative removal of the fragment, the patient was started on cortisol, mineralocorticoid and thyroid hormone re...

The use of increasingly precise, intelligent neurosurgery instruments that allow intraoperative accuracy, visualization, surgical access, has led to mastery of surgical techniques and the transformation of prognosis, the Mayfield three-pin skull clamp was designed to rigidly affix a patient's head to the operating table during craniotomy drilling and delicate microneurosurgery. However, these i...

The nasopharyngeal airway (NPA) is a simple airway adjunct used by various healthcare professionals. It has some advantages over the oropharyngeal airway (OPA) but despite this it appears to be used less frequently. This may be due to fears over intracranial placement in cases of possible basal skull fracture. This fear, promulgated by training, is based solely on two single case reports and re...

DATA SOURCES The authors electronically searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (February 2011), MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Literatura LatinoAmericana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) and hand searched abstracts of neurosurgical conference proceedings and reference lists. Experts in the field were contacted to request additional sources. No language or publication restric...

Growing skull fractures (GSFs) are rare complications after severe head injuries in the early childhood and rarely occur after craniosynostosis repair. The aim of this study was to define an algorithm for sufficient treatment for GSF after craniofacial procedures. Literature research was performed to clarify risk factors for GSFs after cranial vault reshaping. Conclusions of the literature and ...

We report an uncommon and potentially dangerous complication of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) applied during spontaneous respiration. A patient with multiple fractures and recurrernt atelectasis developed pneumocephalus on the seventh day of respiratory therapy with CPAP via a face mask. A fracture of the base of the skull, not recognized despite neurologic and radiologic evaluatio...

Traumatic unilateral sixth nerve palsy is a relatively rare occurrence, with an estimated incidence between 1% and 2.7% of all head traumas. Bilateral sixth nerve palsies following trauma is even rarer and is often accompanied by additional neurological injury and fractures of the skull or cervical spine. Here, we describe an illustrative case of bilateral sixth nerve palsies following a motor ...

Steroid-induced osteoporosis is the most common cause of secondary osteoporosis and accounts for one-fifth of all osteoporosis cases. The fracture incidence under steroid may be as high as 50%. However, many patients do not undergo appropriate risk assessment and treatment before and after steroid exposure. We described a 56-year-old male patient with multiple punched-out lesions in skull unusu...

BACKGROUND The oral route for tracheal intubation can interfere with some maxillofacial surgical procedures. At the same time, the nasal route can be contraindicated or impossible. Tracheostomy is the usual solution in these circumstances, but it carries a high incidence of complications. We tested the submandibular route for tracheal intubation as an alternative to tracheostomy in such situati...