Hypoplastic left heart syndrome ( HLHS) accounts for 4-9% of congenital heart disease in children. The mortality rate among children with HLHS undergoing cardiac repair is well documented, but comparable data for noncardiac surgical procedures are not well known. Medically intractable epilepsy is one of those problems, which arises as a complication of cardiovascular surgery in HLHS and necessitates neurosurgical intervention. There is no published knowledge about neurosurgical procedures performed in children with HLHS in the English literature. Thus, we present a 10-year-old boy who developed medically intractable epilepsy after cardiac surgery for HLHS. The aim of this study is to outline the pre-, intra- and postoperative precautions needed for neurosurgical intervention in HLHS patients to decrease morbidity and mortality.

The placement of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is the most common form of treatment for hydrocephalus. Although allergic reactions to the silicone in shunt hardware are very rare, the authors describe a case of silicone allergy causing multiple ventricular shunt revisions. A 24-year-old man, who had undergone multiple VP shunt revisions, presented with shunt malfunction caused by allergic reaction of the tissues surrounding the shunt tubing. The patient's existing silicone-based shunt was replaced with a new polyurethane system, including the proximal and distal catheters as well as the valve mechanism. Contrary to recommendations in previous studies of silicone shunt allergies, long-term immunosuppression was not initiated. The patient was followed up for more than 8 years without recurrence of an allergic reaction to the shunt. This outcome indicates that replacing the original silicone-based shunt system with a polyurethane-based system alone is sufficient in the treatment of a silicone shunt allergy.

STUDY DESIGN:Case report. OBJECTIVE:To report a case of an acute intracranial subdural hematoma that formed due to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak following lumbar surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA:Intracranial hypotension may occur when CSF is removed from the subarachnoid space. Intracranial subdural hematoma formation has been observed following significant CSF drainage during lumbar puncture or ventricular shunt placement. However, formation has been described only twice in the literature following spine surgery. METHODS:Retrospective review of the patient's medical record and head CT imaging. RESULTS:A 55-year-old woman underwent lumbar surgery for failed back syndrome. Intraoperatively, a dural tear was noted and repaired. One week later, she developed expressive aphasia, and CSF drainage from her lumbar wound was noted. A head CT revealed an acute intracranial subdural hematoma with mass effect. Evacuation of the hematoma occurred via craniotomy, and the lumbar dura was repaired intraoperatively. CONCLUSIONS:We report the rare case of an acute intracranial subdural hematoma caused by a CSF leak following lumbar surgery. This report illustrates the potential morbidity associated with CSF leaks occurring after spinal surgery.