Turkish Neurosurgery
2007 , Vol 17 , Num 4
Chronic Subdural Hematoma After Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy
Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Neurosurgery Department, Istanbul, Turkey
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is an effective and rather safe treatment for
noncommunicating hydrocephalus secondary to aqueductal stenosis and other
obstructive pathologies. It has become a popular alternative to ventricular shunts for
noncommunicating hydrocephalus. Although it is a safe procedure, several complications
related to this procedure have been reported in the literature. We report a rare case of a
large chronic subdural hematoma (ChSDH) after ETV in a patient with aqueductal
stenosis. A 42-year-old female patient presented with acute symptoms of obstructive
hydrocephalus, headaches and blurring of consciousness. Acomputerized tomogram (CT)
of the patient's brain revealed marked triventricular supratentorial hydrocephalus and an
external ventricular drainage (EVD) was performed first. After this procedure, magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated hydrocephalus secondary to aqueductal stenosis.
ETV was performed and the EVD removed uneventfully. The patient was discharged
home after a few days without any complications. She then presented with headaches 4
weeks following ETV. A CT demonstrated chronic subdural hematoma on the
contralateral side. This was treated with burr-hole evacuation. Postoperatively, her
headaches improved. During the follow-up period, she remains symptom-free and has
radiographic evidence of a patent ventriculostomy. This case confirms chronic subdural
hematoma formation is a possible complication following endoscopic third
ventriculostomy.
Keywords :
Aqueductal stenosis, Chronic subdural hematoma, Endoscopic third ventriculostomy