Gamma knife radiosurgery for clival metastasis: case series and systematic review

PURPOSE

Clival metastatic cancer is rare and has limited literature to guide management. We describe management of clival metastasis with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS). We augment our findings with a systematic review of all forms of radiation therapy for clival metastasis.

METHODS

Records of 14 patients with clival metastasis who underwent GKRS at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center from 2002 to 2023 were reviewed. Treatment parameters and clinical outcomes were assessed. A systematic review was conducted using evidence-based guidelines.

RESULTS

The average age was 61 years with male predominance (n = 10) and average follow-up of 12.4 months. The most common primary cancers were prostate (n = 3) and lung (n = 3). The average time from cancer diagnosis to clival metastasis was 34 months. The most common presenting symptoms were headache (n = 9) and diplopia (n = 7). Five patients presented with abducens nerve palsies, and two presented with oculomotor nerve palsies. The median tumor volume was 9.3 cc, and the median margin dose was 15 Gy. Eleven patients achieved tumor control after one procedure, and three with progression obtained tumor control after repeat GKRS. One patient recovered abducens nerve function. The median survival from cancer diagnosis and GKRS were 49.7 and 15.3 months, respectively. The cause of death was progression of systemic cancer in six patients, clival metastasis in one, and unknown in four. The systematic review included 31 studies with heterogeneous descriptions of treatment and outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Clival metastasis is rare and associated with poor prognosis. GKRS is a safe, effective treatment for clival metastasis.

Single institution series describing external ventricular drain (EVD) placement and short- and long-term complications related to placement accuracy

Background

The placement of an external ventricular drain (EVD) for the treatment of acute hydrocephalus is one of the most common life-saving procedures that neurosurgeons perform worldwide. There are many well-known complications associated with EVD placement, including tract hemorrhages, intra-parenchymal and subdural hemorrhages, infection, and catheter misplacement. Given the variety of complications associated with EVD placement and the inconsistent findings on the relationship of accuracy to complications, the present study reviewed short- and long-term complications related to EVD placement at our institution.

Methods

A retrospective review was conducted for all consecutive patients who underwent bedside EVD placement for any indication between December 2020 and December 2021. Collected variables included demographic information, etiology of disease state, pre-and post-operative head computed tomography measurements, and post-procedural metrics (immediate and delayed complications).

Results

A total of 124 patients qualified for inclusion in our study. EVDs that were non-functioning/exchanged were not significantly related to age, accuracy, ventriculomegaly, sex, disposition, laterality, type of EVD used, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), etiology, or Kakarla Grade (KG) (all P > 0.17). The need for a second EVD was similarly not related to age, accuracy, ventriculomegaly, sex, disposition, location, laterality, type of EVD used, IVH, etiology, or KG (all P > 0.130). Patients who died, however, were significantly more likely to have a second contralateral EVD placed (18.2% vs. 4.9% P = 0.029). We also found that left-sided EVDs were significantly more likely to fail within seven days of placement (29.4% vs 13.3%, P = 0.037; relative risk (RR) 1.93, 95% confidence interval: 1.09-3.43), unrelated to age, sex, etiology, type of EVD, IVH, location of the procedure, or accuracy (all P > 0.07). This remained significant when using a binary logistic regression to control for ventriculomegaly, accuracy, mortality, age, sex, and etiology (P = 0.021, B = 3.43).

Conclusion

In our cohort, although a clear relationship between inaccuracy and complication rates was not found, our data did demonstrate that left-sided EVDs were more likely to fail within the immediate postoperative time point, and patients who died were more likely to have a second, contralateral EVD placed.

Infant Rudimentary Meningocele with Tethering of the Cervical Cord: A Case Report

Rudimentary meningoceles of the spine with dural extension are very rare and warrant surgical excision to prevent infection and long-term neurological deficits in pediatric patients. We present the case of a 5-month-old infant with a tethered spinal cord secondary to a rudimentary meningocele. The patient presented shortly after birth with a midline cervical dimple that was evaluated for a suspected dermal sinus tract. Magnetic resonance imaging scan of the spine showed a sinus tract with intradural extension to C2-3 and external opening at the level of spinous process C5. En bloc surgical excision and spinal cord release were successfully performed. Histological analysis of the specimen confirmed the presence of two blunt sinus tracts and staining was consistent with a rudimentary meningocele. Intradural rudimentary meningoceles in infants can successfully be managed with surgical intervention. Surgery is indicated to prevent future motor complications from spinal cord tethering and neoplastic growth from the rudimentary meningocele.