PITCH (pediatric infratentorial tumors – hydrocephalus-related complications) registry study design: observational, prospective, multicenter study evaluating the number of surgeries associated with the treatment of hydrocephalus secondary to infraten

INTRODUCTION: Posterior fossa tumors are the most common solid pediatric neoplasms, and more than 60% of these tumors are associated with hydrocephalus, which can be managed using different strategies, including endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS), external ventricular drainage (EVD), or direct tumor resection without CSF diversion. The safest and most effective drainage method remains controversial, and most available studies are limited to single-center retrospective analyses, often constrained by small sample sizes. Therefore, multicenter prospective studies are needed to determine the optimal treatment strategy. METHODS: This is a prospective, multicenter cohort study conducted across more than 20 pediatric neurosurgery centers in Latin America. Patients will be allocated into four groups according to the treatment selected for hydrocephalus (ETV, EVD, VPS, or resection). The primary outcome will be the number of surgical interventions related to the treatment of hydrocephalus during the follow-up period. Secondary outcomes will include mortality, infection, and other clinically relevant complications, analyzed as complementary endpoints. Patients will be followed prospectively for up to 12 months after the index procedure, defined as the intervention performed for the treatment of hydrocephalus, and each group will include at least 50 patients. CONCLUSION: The REDCap online platform will be used for data collection in the PITCH study, enabling prospective data acquisition across multiple centers in Latin America. This will allow comparison of treatment modalities for obstructive hydrocephalus secondary to posterior fossa tumors (ETV, EVD, VPS, and resection) and evaluation of their impact during the first year after diagnosis.

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Journal
Child s Nervous System
Published
2026-05-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-026-07282-0
Primary Topic
Cerebrospinal fluid and hydrocephalus
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

PITCH (pediatric infratentorial tumors – hydrocephalus-related complications) registry study design: observational, prospective, multicenter study evaluating the number of surgeries associated with the treatment of hydrocephalus secondary to infraten

Thaís Cristina de Souza Melo, Igor Vilela Faquini, Jorge Wladimir Junqueira Bizzi, Carlos Alberto Mattozo et al.
Child s Nervous System
Cerebrospinal fluid and hydrocephalus
article

PITCH (pediatric infratentorial tumors – hydrocephalus-related complications) registry study design: observational, prospective, multicenter study evaluating the number of surgeries associated with the treatment of hydrocephalus secondary to infraten

Thaís Cristina de Souza Melo, Igor Vilela Faquini, Jorge Wladimir Junqueira Bizzi, Carlos Alberto Mattozo, Gustavo Botelho Sampaio, Ramiro del Rio, Eduardo Cortés Silva, Fernando Seiji Suzuki, Marcelo Volpon Santos, Emilio Pelleriti, Cleiton Formentin, Ricardo de Amoreira Gepp, Wagner Lazaretto Padua, Esdras Ismael Borrayo Flores, Sandrieli Afornali, Vítor Nagai Yamaki, Adriano Keijiro Maeda, Carlos Eduardo Barros Jucá, Simone Mendes Rogerio, Benício Oton de Lima, P. Vianna Filho, M. Salerno, Marcio Ferreira Marcelino, Thaís Neri Andrade de Almeida Garcia, Paulo Ronaldo Jubé- Ribeiro, Marcos Devanir Silva Da [UNIFESP] Costa, Patricia Alessandra Dastoli, Tatiana Protzenko Cervante, Giovani Mendes Ferreira, Guilherme Ávila Girotto de Camargo, Bruna de Ávila Medeiros, Roberto Alexandre Dezena, Paloam Cardoso Nôvo, Gabriel Mufarrej, Alexandre Varella Giannetti, Sergio Cavalheiro
article en

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Posterior fossa tumors are the most common solid pediatric neoplasms, and more than 60% of these tumors are associated with hydrocephalus, which can be managed using different strategies, including endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS), external ventricular drainage (EVD), or direct tumor resection without CSF diversion. The safest and most effective drainage method remains controversial, and most available studies are limited to single-center retrospective analyses, often constrained by small sample sizes. Therefore, multicenter prospective studies are needed to determine the optimal treatment strategy. METHODS: This is a prospective, multicenter cohort study conducted across more than 20 pediatric neurosurgery centers in Latin America. Patients will be allocated into four groups according to the treatment selected for hydrocephalus (ETV, EVD, VPS, or resection). The primary outcome will be the number of surgical interventions related to the treatment of hydrocephalus during the follow-up period. Secondary outcomes will include mortality, infection, and other clinically relevant complications, analyzed as complementary endpoints. Patients will be followed prospectively for up to 12 months after the index procedure, defined as the intervention performed for the treatment of hydrocephalus, and each group will include at least 50 patients. CONCLUSION: The REDCap online platform will be used for data collection in the PITCH study, enabling prospective data acquisition across multiple centers in Latin America. This will allow comparison of treatment modalities for obstructive hydrocephalus secondary to posterior fossa tumors (ETV, EVD, VPS, and resection) and evaluation of their impact during the first year after diagnosis.

Child s Nervous SystemVol. 42(1)
University of Mendoza (AR), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR), Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (BR), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (BR), Garrahan Hospital (AR), Santa Casa Hospital (BR), Hospital de Base (BR), Hospital Universitario de San Vicente Fundación (CO), Fundação de Apoio a Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás (BR), Hospital Santa Paula (BR), Centro Infantil Boldrini (BR), Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (BR), Hospital Erasto Gaertner (BR), Hospital Materno-Infantil (ES), Centro de Epilepsia y Neurocirugía Funcional (GT), Hospital Universitário de Brasília (BR), Hospital de Niños Superiora Sor María Ludovica (AR), Hospital Infantil Albert Sabin (BR), Clinics Hospital of Ribeirão Preto (BR), Hospital da Restauração (BR), Instituto Estadual do Cérebro Paulo Niemeyer (BR), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (BR), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) (BR), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (BR)
Universidade Federal de São Paulo
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Cerebrospinal fluid and hydrocephalus
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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