4 surgical complications of medulloblastoma

27-year-old Xiao Lei used to be a healthy young man. On October 30, 2009, he was diagnosed with right cerebellar medulloblastoma at Yancheng First People's Hospital due to physical discomfort. He then underwent a complete resection. Three months after being discharged from the hospital, he was re-examined and everything was normal. However, in mid-2011, he was found to have a relapse of the disease after a re-examination. Xiao Chen was very worried about the worsening of the disease and the possible complications of another surgery.

Medulloblastoma is a type of brain tumor and one of the most malignant tumors of the central nervous system. In the late stage, it is often accompanied by chronic cerebellar tonsillar herniation. It can cause neck resistance or compulsion due to stimulation of the upper cervical nerve roots. Head tumors invading the face can cause facial nerve paralysis, and spinal cord metastasis lesions can cause paraplegia.

If patients with medulloblastoma choose surgery for treatment, they may experience bleeding, intracranial pneumocephalus, hydrocephalus, and respiratory arrest.

1. Bleeding: Affected by factors such as the location of the tumor and the surgical procedure, bleeding may occur during the operation. A small amount of bleeding can be relieved by external ventricular drainage; if the amount of bleeding is large, a second operation must be performed to stop the bleeding.

2. Intracranial pneumocephalus: Intracranial pneumocephalus is related to excessive loss of cerebrospinal fluid and excessive head position during surgery. In severe cases, tension pneumocephalus may form.

3. Hydrocephalus: Hydrocephalus is mostly caused by incomplete tumor resection, postoperative aqueduct adhesion, adhesion and fluid accumulation in the surgical area, postoperative infection, brain tissue edema and other factors.

4. Respiratory arrest: Traction or direct damage to the medullary respiratory center during surgery, or compression of the medulla by hemorrhage and edema after surgery can all cause respiratory arrest.