Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery

Professor Di Rocco is an internationally recognized pediatric neurosurgeon, Director and Chairman of the Neurosurgery Institute, Catholic University of Rome. Since May 2014, he has moved to Hannover, Germany where he is Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the International Neuroscience Institute (INI). He performed more than 12,000 neurosurgical operations on brain and spinal cord tumors, hydrocephalus, arachnoid cysts, craniosynostosis, cerebral and spine malformations (hemimegalencephaly, cortical dysplasia, lipomyelomeningocele, myelomeningocele, spinal lipoma, Chiari type I malformation), neurophacomatoses and epileptic disorders. He wrote more than 430 articles in international peer reviewed journals, books and chapters in books. He is the main Editor of Child's Nervous System, the Official Journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, European Journal for Pediatric Neurosurgery, Japanese Society for Pediatric Neurosurgey, Korean Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, Brasilian Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery. Dachling Pang is Professor and Chief of Paediatric Neurosurgery at University of California, Davis, and Chief of the Regional Centre of Paediatric Neurosurgery of Northern California Kaiser Foundation. His research interests are neuroembryology, paediatric spinal injuries, spinal cord congenital malformations, embryology and bony malformations of the craniovertebral junction, intraoperative neurophysiology monitoring, and craniopharyngioma. His publications, focused on the same areas, include over 180 refereed articles and chapters. He is Scientific Advisor and Associate Editor for the journal Child"s Nervous System; and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, United Kingdom. He has been an invited speaker or as visiting professor in over 340 occasions in many countries, and was guest neurosurgeon for teaching purposes in many places including Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Singapore, India, Beijing, Nanjing, and Guangzhou in China, Taiwan, and South Africa. Dr. Rutka assumed his appointment in the Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery of the University of Toronto in 1990, and has been on the surgical staff at the Hospital for Sick Children in the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery since that time. Dr. Rutka's primary research and clinical interests relate to the science and surgery of human brain tumours; his recent clinical interests have centred on the surgical treatment of epilepsy in children. In 2013, Dr Rutka was installed as the 7th Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neurosurgery. In 2014, he was appointed to the Order of Ontario, the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a resident in the Province, and he received an honorary degree, Honoris Causa, from the Faculty of Medicine at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul. He has over 400 peer reviewed publications.

1.Generalities: Embryology of CNS.- Neurologic development and objective neurological examination of the infant and the child.- Principles of neuroimaging.- Neurologic development and objective neurological examination of  the infant and the child.-  Physiological responses of the newborn, infant and child to neurosurgical trauma.-  Preoperative evaluation, anesthesiological and intensive care management.- Pediatric chemotherapy.- Pediatric radiotherapy.-  2. Congenital brain malformation and acquired disorders: Encephaloceles, meningoceles, dermal sinuses.- Chiari malformations (types II,III,IV) .- Craniopagus.- Physiology and abnormalities of CSF dynamics (including infantile benign hydrocephalus and benign intracranial hypertension) .- Hydrocephalus: Clinical presentation according to age and etiology.-Pathological changes induced by the hydrocephalus/ compensative changes.-Hydrocephalus: Neuroimaging.- Fetal hydrocephalus and its treatment inutero.-Posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus.-Postinfective hydrocephalus.- Multiloculated hydrocephalus.-Aqueductal stenosis and hydrcephalus.-X-linked, metabolic hydrocephalus.- Hydrocephalus associated to MM.- Hydrocephalus associated to tumors.- Medical treatment of hydrocephalus.- Surgical treatment of hydrocephalus based on CSF shunt devices.-In-depth view: Functional chracteristics of CSF shunt devices (pros and cons) .- In-depth view: How to perform a V-P CSF shunt.- In-depth view: How to perform a V-A CSF shunt.- In-depth view: How to perform a lumbo-peritoneal CSF shunt.- In-depth view: How to perform a pleural, glad bladder shunt.-In-depth view: How to perform a subgaleal shunt.- In-depth view: External CSF shunts.-Infective, mechanical and functional complications in the surgical treatment of hydrocephalus.- Late complications following surgical treatment of hydrocephalus.-Endoscopic treatment of hydrocephalus.-In-depth view: How to perform an endoscopic third-ventricle cisternostomy.- In-depth view: How to perform an endoscopic plexectomy.-Complications following endoscopic treatment of hydrocephalus.-Arachnoid cysts.-Dandy-Walker malformations/variants.- Cortical dysplasia.- Neurocutaneous syndromes.-Neurofibromatosis.-SturgeWeber.-Tuberous sclerosis.- HippelLindau.-Hemimegalencephaly.-Cerebrocutaneous melanosis.- .Encephalo cutaneous lipomatosis.- 3. Cerebrovascular diseases: Vein of Galen aneurysmal malformations.-Artero-venous malformations.-Venous angiomas and cavernomas.- Cerebral aneurysms.-Moya-moya disease.- 4. Congenital malformations of the skull and its coverings: Craniosynostoses: Management Issues and Evolution in concepts.- Craniosynostoses: Genetic base, genes, chromosomes and resulting syndromes.- Craniosynostoses: Lessons learned from animal models.- Sagittal synostoses.- Coronal (uni and bilateral) synostoses.-Metopic synostoses.- Lambdoid synostoses.-Non syndromic plurisutural synostoses (oxycephaly, Mercedes) .- Syndromic synostoses.-Secondary synostoses (Metabolic, Iatrogenic, osteopetrosis, etc) .- In-depth view: ICP in craniosynostosis.- In-depth view: Neuropsychological evaluation in craniosynostosis.-In-depth view: Psycho-Sociological repercussions of craniosynostosis.- In-depth view: Deformational plagiocephaly.- In-depth view: Management of craniosynostosis: Evaluation of results.- In-depth view: Blood sparing and anesthesiological issues in craniosynostosis.- In-depth view: Osteogenic distraction.-In-depth view: Endoscopy assisted techniques.- In-depth view: Spring assisted distraction.-In-depth view: Bone splitting and materials.-Scalp agenesis. .- 5. Head Injuries: Birth related head traumas.- Accidental head traumas.-Non-accidental head injuries.-Cranial decompression.- Outcomes, principles of rehabilitation.-6. Infections: Meningitis: neurosurgical implications.- .Encephalitis.- Empyemas and brain abscesses.-Parasitic infestations, fungal and TB.- 7. Neoplasms: Genetic basis and classification of cerebral neoplasms.- Familial syndromes.-Congenital and infantile tumors.-Cerebral gliomas.-Thalamic gliomas.-Optic pathways gliomas.- Pituitary adenomas.-Craniopharyngiomas and Rathke cysts.- Pineal region tumors.- Brainstem tumors.- Cerebellar astrocytomas.-Medulloblastomas.- Ependymomas.- Meningiomas.- Skull base tumors.-Skull tumors.- .-8. Functional disorders: Epilepsy: genetic forms and sporadic forms.-Medical intractable epilepsy: preoperative evaluation.-Catastrophic epilepsy and hemispherectomy.-Temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.- Extra-temporal epilepsy surgery.- Palliative surgical techniques (VNS, Callosotomy) .- Neuromodulation.- Spasticity.- Movement disorders.-9. Congenital and developmental spinal disorders: Genetic basis of neural tube defects.- Classification of spinal dysraphic malformations according to embryogenesis: Gastrulation defects and Split cord malformation.- Primary neurulation defects: 1 Open neural tube defects.- Primary neurulation defects : 2 Limited dorsal myeloschisi (LDM) .Dermoid and dermal sinus tracts.-Secondary neurulation defects -1: Thickened filum terminale; Retained medullary cord.-Secondary neurulation defects -2: Terminal myelocystocoele.-Mixed primary and secondary neurulation defects: spinal cord lipomas.- Antenatal management of spinal dysraphysm-1: Imaging and diagnosis of antenatal spinal and spinal cord malformations.-Antenatal management of spinal dysraphysm-2: Antenatal surgery of myelominingocoele.-Caudal agenesis and associated spinal cord malformations.-Spinal cord and vertebral arteriovenous malformation and fistula.-Intraspinal cysts including syringomyelia unrelated to Chiari Malformation.- Scoliosis and other congenital vertebral anomalies. 10. Craniovertebral Junction Anomalies: Embryology, classification, and surgical management of bony malformations of the craniovertebral junction.-Chiari I Malformation and associated syringomyelia.- Anterior surgical approaches to the craniovertebral junction and upper cervical spine. 11. Spine and spinal cord neoplasms: Intramedullary tumours.- Extramedullary tumours.- Vertebral tumours. 12. Spinal trauma: Spine and spinal cord injuries in children: General aspects including Pure ligamentous injuries in children.- Spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) .- Atlantooccipital dislocation (AOD) in children.- Atlantoaxial rotatory fixation (AARF) in children.-Outcome and principles of spinal cord rehabilitation in children. 13. Infectious diseases of the spine: Tuberculosis of the spine.- Bacterial, fungal, and other non-tuberculous infections of the spine, including intraspinal abscesses.- Juvenile disc diseases of the spine including infectious and non-infectious acute discitis.- 14. Intraoperative Neurophysiology Monitoring: Intraoperative neurophysiology monitoring for surgery of the brain.- Intraoperative neurophysiology monitoring for surgery of the spine and spinal cord.

"The authors have done an excellent job of catering to visual learners who may often struggle with dense research texts. ... we enthusiastically support the circulation of the Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery and encourage surgeons, residents, students, and associated health care providers in neurosurgery to take a second look at what this text has to offer." (Rebecca A. Reynolds and Robert P. Naftel, Operative Neurosurgery, Vol. 20 (4), April, 2021)

"Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery provides in exquisite detail a guide to both the fundamentals and details of pediatric neurosurgery. It will prove an excellent reference for all interested in this rapidly growing and essential field, advanced practitioner and trainee included. I particularly recommend it to senior residents and fellows pursuing a career in pediatric neurosurgery, as this excellent resource will prove itself a frequently referenced throughout their burgeoning careers." (Nealen G. Laxpati, Operative Neurosurgery, Vol. 20 (4), 2021)