Pitfalls of third ventriculostomy

The authors report their experiences of endoscopic third ventriculostomy in the acute obstructive hydrocephalus to emphasize unreported significant fi ndings, such as collapse of the ventricular system subsequent to introducti on of endoscope and thick, tough, and opaque floor of the collapsed third v entricle. Operators are required to manipulate neuroendoscope freely to ove rcome these difficulties, based on der:ailed knowledge of intraventricular anatomy and preoperative evaluation of magnetic resonance (MR) images to lo cate vessels in the basal ci!;tern.