Excision of thrombosed vein of Galen aneurysm in an infant. Case report.

This male child was born following a 39-week gestation and weighed 5 lbs 15 oz at birth. His development and head circumference were normal when seen in followup at age 7 weeks. At age 2 months he had developed some head control but he gradually lost this by age 4 months. First Admission. On December 19, 1966, at the age of 4 months, the patient was admitted to hospital because of a 3-day illness characterized by irritability, failure to feed, and vomiting. The mother noted that the head appeared to be larger and the fontanel was bulging. Bilateral subdural taps gave no evidence of subdural hematomas. A ventriculogram performed in conjunction with a lumbar pneumoencephalogram showed an aqueductal stenosis. The ventricular cerebrospinal fluid had a protein of 25 mg %. Chest x-ray was normal. There was no evidence of cardiomegaly or cardiac failure. On December 28, a right ventriculoatrial shunt was carried out. The child ran a low-grade temperature prior to and for a week following the shunt. This cleared spontaneously. The child's symptoms disappeared following the operation and the fontanel became soft.