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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Asian J Neurosurg 2016; 11(03): 311-312
DOI: 10.4103/1793-5482.179643
CASE REPORT

Acute obstructive hydrocephalus complicating decompression surgery of the craniovertebral junction

Authors

  • Junichi Ohya

    Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655

  • Hirotaka Chikuda

    Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655

  • Hirofumi Nakatomi

    1   Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655

  • Ryuji Sakamoto

    Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655

  • Nobuhito Saito

    1   Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655

  • Sakae Tanaka

    Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655
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Obstructive hydrocephalus has been described as a rare complication following foramen magnum decompression for Chiari malformation. However, there are few reports of obstructive hydrocephalus after spinal surgery for other pathologies of the craniovertebral junction (CVJ). The authors herein report a 52-year-old female with achondroplasia presenting with an 8-month history of myelopathy due to spinal cord compression at CVJ. She underwent resection of the C1 posterior arch and part of the edge of the occipital bone. A computed tomography (CT) scan obtained 1-week after the surgery revealed bilateral infratentorial fluid collection. The patient was first managed conservatively; however, on the 17th day, her consciousness level showed sudden deterioration. Emergency CT demonstrated marked hydrocephalus due to obstruction of the cerebral aqueduct. Acute obstructive hydrocephalus can occur late after decompression surgery at the CVJ, and thus should be included in the differential diagnosis of a deteriorating mental status.

Key-words:

Achondroplasia - complication - craniovertebral junction - obstructive hydrocephalus - remote cerebellar hemorrhage


Publication History

Article published online:
20 September 2022

© 2016. Asian Congress of Neurological Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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