Objective: Cephalocele is a central nervous system (CNS) birth defect. Various CNS and extra-CNS anomalies, as well as prognostic factors have been reported with cephalocele. The aim of this study was to discuss prognostic factors and current possible theories explaining associated anomalies seen in a series of 55 patients with cephalocele.
Methods: A retrospective study was performed using the records of 55 children with cephalocele at the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Tehran, Iran, from October 2000 through October 2008. Patients' sex, age at the operation time, characteristics of the lesion including location, size, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, radiological assessments and intraoperative findings (sac contents), intracranial and extracranial associated anomalies, and the last situation of the children were reviewed.
Conclusion: A genetic role can be proposed while a female predominance is seen in our results as well as in other reports. CNS and extra-CNS anomalies, as well as several genetic syndromes are not explicable as a causal consequence of cephalocele and the probability of a mere coincidence cannot be ruled out; therefore, we propose that the combination of these anomalies is rather a low-frequency association. Ventriculomegaly was the only poor prognostic determinant in our study, which can compel more severe neuroradiologic studies in such patients as a reasonable prognostic evaluation.
Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.