Operative management of third ventriculostomy in cases of thickened, non-translucent third ventricular floor: technical note.

Today, endoscopic third ventriculostomy is an established operative modality in occlusive hydrocephalus. The elemental step in third ventriculostomy is the perforation of the floor of the third ventricle. Especially with a thickened third ventricular floor, anatomical orientation can be disturbed and perforation of third ventricular floor technically difficult. The combination of a neuronavigation system with an endoscope provides interactive image-guided neuroendoscopy. Exact planning of the approach is thus possible and the ideal trajectory to the target area can be determined. We have combined interactive neuronavigation and intraoperative fluoroscopy for incorporating real-time feedback to optimize endoscopy in patients with a thickened third ventricular floor selected for third ventriculostomy.