AbstractContext- Occipital encephaloceles are one of the less commonly seen herniation deformities of central nervous system. Management of this entity has been an uphill task and this study touches all aspects and dimensions of this complex entity along with its outcome. Aim- To study the epidemiological, clinical, radiological features, perioperative issues,
post surgical results and outcome. Settings and Design- A retrospective study comprising of 39 patients of occipital encephaloceles admitted from January 2013 to March 2019 in the Department of Neurosurgery at King George’s Medical University(KGMU), Lucknow was performed. Materials and Methods Data records containing demographic, clinical and radiological details as well as intraoperative and post surgical details and follow up were analyzed. Results- In this study of 39 patients (24 male and 15 female), age ranged from 2 months-14 years. Hydrocephalus was seen in 20 patients (51%) cases and Corpus callosum abnormality was seen in 10 patients (24%). Five patients
were having ruptured encephalocele (11%). Excision of sac along with its contents and water tight dural repair was done in all cases. Shunt surgery was done in 25 cases (64%). Mortality was recorded in seven patients (18%). Wound infection was the commonest complication seen in this study. Mean follow up was of 48 months. 47% of the patients
had no neurological deficits while 53% had moderate neurological deficits. Conclusion- Occipital encephalocele pose a surgical challenge though better outcomes have been achieved with multidisciplinary team approach. Giant size sac with significant brain tissue is a bad prognostic indicator for the outcome.
Keywords: Occipital Encephalocele; Giant Encephalocele; Surgery; Outcome.