Surgical Outcome of Spinal Subdural Abscesses: A Report of Four Consecutive Patients and Brief Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Spinal subdural abscesses (SSAs) are rare and have a poor prognosis, especially when they are diagnosed late. In the literature, most cases of SSAs have been reported as case reports and small case series. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the surgical outcomes of four consecutive SSA patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, we reviewed the medical charts of four SSA patients who underwent surgical intervention at two neurosurgical centers from September 2012 to September 2019. RESULTS: Our series comprised four patients (three females and one male) with SSA (intradural-extramedullary) who were treated surgically. Holocord SSA was observed in two patients. The mean age was 15.1 ± 17.1 years. Unsteady gait and weakness of legs was the presenting symptom in all patients. The mean preoperative course was 5.3 ± 3.4 weeks. The causative pathogens were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the fourth case, the pathogen was non-M. tuberculosis. In the 44th postoperative month, the patient underwent surgery for an intramedullary abscess. The causative pathogen was E. coli. Except for one adolescent male who was paraplegic at presentation, improvement was observed in all patients at their last follow-up after 54.0 ± 35.9 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis and urgent surgical intervention are essential for a good prognosis in SSA cases. We recommend drainage followed by appropriate antibiotics.

Clinical and radiological evaluation of treated Chiari I adult patients: retrospective study from two neurosurgical centers.

Chiari malformation type I (CM1) is a common neurosurgical disorder. It often causes debilitation in the affected patients. CM1 is a herniation of the caudal cerebellum into the spinal canal. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of posterior fossa decompression and duraplasty (PFDD) in treated CM1 patients. In retrospective design, we reviewed the medical records of diagnosed patients with CM1 at two neurosurgical centers spanning 8 years from 2010 to 2017. We selected all CM1 patients who underwent PFDD surgery (n = 72) as the core sample for this study. We used the Chicago Chiari Outcome Scale (CCOS) to evaluate clinical outcomes. Pre- and postoperatively, we assessed the syrinx/cord ratio, the syrinx length, and the improvement of aqueductal stroke volume (ASV) on CSF flow MRIs. The mean value of CCOS was 14.1 ± 2.1. On midsagittal MRIs, the mean regression in ectopia tonsils was 9.4 ± 1.9 mm (i.e., mean pre- and postoperative tonsil herniation was 13.1 ± 3.1 mm and 4.0 ± 1.6 mm, respectively; p < 0.001). On coronal MRIs, the mean regression in ectopia tonsils was 8.4 ± 1.5 mm (i.e., mean pre- and postoperative tonsil herniation was 13.9 ± 2.4 mm and 5.8 ± 1.0 mm, respectively; p < 0.001). A strong positive correlation was observed between clinical improvement and the increase in ASV values. CSF flow MRIs can help in the surgical decision and follow-up of CM1 patients. ASV ≤ 12 µl is a significant predictor for surgical intervention. Full clinical and radiological evaluation utilizing CSF flow MRI are essential. Most syrinx cavities have regressed following PFDD.

Long-Term Surgical Resection Outcomes of Pediatric Myxopapillary Ependymoma: Experience of Two Centers and Brief Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Myxopapillary ependymoma (MPE) is a rarely reported lesion of the spinal cord in the pediatric population. Based on their low mitotic index and slow-growth, MPEs are classified as low-grade glial tumors. However, MPEs have malignant characteristics, such as distant neural axis and extraneural axis dissemination. We present the long-term surgical resection outcomes of 5 consecutive pediatric MPE cases and the results of a literature search for reported cases of pediatric spinal MPE. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 38 primary spinal MPE cases who underwent surgery at 2 neurosurgical centers over a 16-year period from January 2004 to January 2019. All pediatric cases (age <18 years; n = 5) who were diagnosed with MPE composed the core sample for this study. RESULTS: This series comprised 5 patients (3 females and 2 males), with a mean age at first presentation of 13.6 ± 2.3 years. The mean preoperative course was 8.2 ± 9.3 months. The predominant location was the lumbar spine, for 4 tumors. Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 4 patients. All patients were diagnosed histopathologically as MPE, World Health Organization grade I. No adjuvant treatment was provided after the first surgery. Three patients experienced spinal drop metastasis. The mean interval between the first diagnosis and diagnosis of neural dissemination was 44.0 ± 31.5 months. The location of neural dissemination in all patients was the sacral spine; 1 patient experienced distant metastasis in the brain along with her sacral metastasis. The mean duration of follow-up was 75.0 ± 37.6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Even with GTR, pediatric MPE has a high propensity for neural axis dissemination. We recommend close clinical and radiologic follow-up for pediatric patients with MPE.

Radiation-Induced Meningiomas: A Series of Four Consecutive Patients and a Review of Literature.

AIM: To assess the clinical outcomes of treatment for radiation-induced meningiomas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for all cranial meningioma cases that were diagnosed and/or underwent surgery at our hospital from 2009 to 2016. All radiation-associated meningioma patients constituted the core sample for this study. RESULTS: This series included one female and three male patients, with a mean age of 47.3 ± 16.3 years. The mean preoperative course was < 3 months. The most common symptom was headache (100%) and three patients had alopecia and thin scalp skin. The mean of the age at which they underwent radiotherapy was 18.5 ± 13.7 years. The mean latency period was 19.2 ± 7.4 years. Initial malignancies included two patients with desmoplastic medulloblastomas (13-year-old female, 65 Gy), (11-year-old male, 54 Gy) and a patient with grade II oligodendroglioma treated with 30 Gy. A male patient received low-dose radiotherapy for chronic otitis at 10 years old. Histopathological examinations revealed the following: 1) fibroblastic-grade I, Ki-67 2%-3%, 25.5 years latency; cerebellopontine angle, 2) atypical meningioma grade II, Ki-67 8%, 21 years, frontal; and 3) transitional grade I, Ki-67 3%-4%, 11 years, frontal. The fourth patient had three radiation-induced meningiomas and 27 radiation-induced cavernomas, and was treated using a gamma knife. The mean follow-up period was 34.8 ± 39.4 months. One patient had rhinorrhea and another experienced a cerebrospinal fluid fistula. Both underwent an additional operation. The former died because of meningitis on postoperative day 31. CONCLUSION: Most radiation-induced meningiomas are low-grade, but they have a high trend of recurrence. Close follow-up and yearly magnetic resonance imaging would minimize the morbidity rate. To reduce fatal complications, surgery should be planned in conjunction with plastic surgeons.

Factors affecting the surgical outcomes of tethered cord syndrome in adults: a retrospective study.

This study aimed to find the factors that may affect the surgical outcomes of congenital tethered cord syndrome (TCS) in adults by evaluating the long-term surgical outcomes of 25 consecutive cases. Medical records of 79 TCS cases which underwent surgery in Bakirköy Research and Training Hospital for Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (BRSHH), during an 11-year period from 2005 to 2015, were retrospectively reviewed. All adult cases (patient age > 18 years) were selected as the core sample used for this study. Twenty-five cases of TCSs were surgically treated. The sample consists of 16 female and nine male patients. The mean age of the sample is 30.1 ± 10.3 years. Untethering was carried out in 88% of the patients. Sixty-four percent of the patients had good clinical outcomes at their last follow-up (after 73.8 months on average). The mean length of hospital stay was 4.76 ± 2.88 days. In a multivariate regression model, laminectomy, bladder dysfunction when associated to muscular weakness, and long-term (>6 months) symptoms were selected as the independent risk factors associated with poor or minimally improved (almost unchanged) surgical outcomes. When the urodynamic test showed overactive detrusor muscle, no improvement was recorded in postoperative urodynamic test. Laminoplasty (or hemilaminectomy), short-term (<6 months) symptoms, patients without lipomas, and presentation with moderate or mild symptoms seem to be proper predictors for good surgical outcomes. Further prospective studies are necessary to investigate these findings systematically. Urodynamic study can be used as a predictive tool for close follow-up of asymptomatic adult patients involved with TCS.

Primary Intracranial Germinomas: Retrospective Analysis of Five Cases.

AIM: Primary intracranial germinomas (PIGs) are rare malignant brain tumors that represent approximately 0.2% to 1.7% of all primary intracranial tumors. PIGs have infrequent, but there is a possibility of spinal cord metastases. In this study, clinical outcomes of five consecutive PIGs have been presented. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed in 1,849 cases of intracranial tumors who underwent surgery between the years 2005 and 2015 and cases confirmed as germinoma histopathologically were included in this study. RESULTS: Five cases of PIGs were detected in two female (40%) and 3 male (60%) patients. The mean age was 15.2±5.6 (8-23) years. The mean follow-up period was 52.3±56.4 (9-135) months. The most common complaint was headache (60%), followed by nausea±vomiting (40%). Four cases (80%) affected the suprasellar region while the fifth patient"s tumor was localized in the pineal region. The duration between the initial symptom and time of surgical intervention ranged between 15 days and 2 months. Twelve months after the first operation, one patient presented with drop seeding metastasis. Four-year survival (with exception of the case that died as a early surgical complication) was 100%. Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in one patient. Surgical mortality rate was 20%. PIGs" morbidity rate was 60%. CONCLUSION: PIG is a mostly malignant tumor that generally affects the pediatric age group. They are radiosensitive tumors. Subtotal or near-total resection using stereotactic guide or direct surgery to confirm the histopathological diagnosis followed by chemotherapy and whole brain or in some cases craniospinal radiotherapy rather than GTR is therefore the treatment of choice.