Anterior encephaloceles: a report of 30 cases.

Thirty cases of anterior encephalocele treated in our centre over an 18-year period (from 1973 to 1990) are presented. At the time of surgery over 60% of the patients were under the age of 2 years, and 40% were aged under 1 year. Only one child was over 10 years of age. Twenty-six patients had the fronto-ethmoidal type of defect, while two each had frontonasal- and naso-orbital-type lesions. Twenty-five children had varying degrees of hypertelorism. Four had an enlarged head and four microcephaly. In 26 patients one-stage repair of the encephalocele and reconstruction of the orbits was undertaken. A ventriculoperitoneal shunt was performed prior to definitive surgery in three patients with gross hydrocephalus. There was no postoperative mortality. Six patients had postoperative CSF rhinorrhoea, three of them requiring a lumboperitoneal shunt. This study highlights the role of one-stage repair of this defect.