Advantages and disadvantages of the transcallosal approach to the III ventricle

The advantages of the transcallosal approach used in children during 10 years at the Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery in Prague are: strict midline approach to the III ventricle, sparing both fornices; convenient approach to the left lateral ventricle from a right sided craniotomy. The disadvantages are: neurological sequelae, the most serious of which are mutism and disturbances of recent memory. Older children and those who showed preoperative symptoms of the disconnection syndrome exhibited more deficits after callosotomy.