Treatment of tumors of the third ventricle: a new and simple technique

A new surgical technique is described for the treatment of benign cystic tumors of the third ventricle. It basically consist of: 1) introduction of a catheter to the third ventricle, therefore to the cyst; 2) suction of all the material of the cyst; 3) connection of the catheter to a ventriculoatrial shunt. A report of five patients with a possible colloid cyst in the third ventricle treated with this technique and the satisfactory results obtained in all the cases, with lack of morbidity and mortality, is presented. A comparison between the traditional surgical procedure and ours, as far as the technique itself and the results are concerned, is made. The simplicity of the technique is emphasized and it is proposed as another solution for the treatment of cystic tumors of the third ventricle.