title: Perioperative posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in 2 pediatric neurosurgery patients with brainstem ependymoma.
abstract: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has been described in pediatric neurooncology patients, although it has not been documented perioperatively in pediatric neurosurgery patients not actively receiving chemotherapy. Recently at the authors' facility, 2 cases of PRES were diagnosed perioperatively in children with brainstem ependymoma. Both patients had presented with hypertension, altered mental status, and seizures and demonstrated MR imaging features consistent with PRES. The patients were treated with antiseizure and antihypertension medications, leading to improvement in both clinical symptoms and neuroimaging findings. These cases are the first to document PRES in perioperative pediatric neurosurgery patients not actively receiving chemotherapy. Both patients had ependymoma involving the brainstem, which may have led to intra- and perioperative hemodynamic instability (including hypertension) and predisposed them to this syndrome. An awareness of PRES in similar scenarios will aid in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric neurosurgery patients with this syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, California 94305-5327, USA. mghayden@gmail.com
authors.forename: Melanie G Hayden
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Gephart
authors.forename: Bonnie P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Taft
authors.forename: Anne-Katrin
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Giese
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guzman
authors.forename: Michael S B
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D020295:Brain Stem Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D015192:Infratentorial Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D059035:Perioperative Period; D054038:Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013577:Syndrome