Intraoperative hyperthermia associated with intraventricular hemorrhage

A case is presented of a 34-month-old child who developed hyperthermia with a temperature of 40 degrees C while undergoing a suboccipital craniotomy for resection of a medulloblastoma. The presentation is followed by a discussion of the differential diagnosis of hyperthermia during anesthesia. Malignant hyperthermia, septicemia, thyroid storm, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, transfusion reaction, and exogenous causes of fever are discussed. The case serves as an illustration of the association between neurosurgical manipulation, intraventricular hemorrhage, and fever that may result from hypothalamic irritation.