Lateral medullary vascular compression manifesting as paroxysmal hypertension.

Neurovascular compression of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) has been described as a possible cause of refractory essential hypertension. We present the case of a patient affected by episodes of severe paroxysmal hypertension, some episodes associated with vago-glossopharyngeal neuralgia. Classical secondary forms of hypertension were excluded. Imaging revealed a neurovascular conflict between the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) and the ventrolateral medulla at the level of the root entry zone of the ninth and tenth cranial nerves (CN IX-X REZ). A MVD of a conflict between the PICA and the RVLM and adjacent CN IX-X REZ was performed, resulting in reduction of the frequency and severity of the episodes. Brain MRI should be performed in cases of paroxysmal hypertension. MVD can be considered in selected patients.

The impact of a history of status epilepticus for epilepsy surgery outcome.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with focal drug resistant epilepsy are excellent candidates for epilepsy surgery. Status epilepticus (SE) and seizure clusters (SC), described in a subset of patients, have both been associated with extended epileptogenic cerebral networks within one or both hemispheres. In this retrospective study, we were interested to determine if a history of SE or SC is associated with a worse surgical outcome. METHODS: Data of 244 patients operated between 2000 to 2018 were reviewed, with a follow-up of at least 2 years. Patients with a previous history of SE or SC were compared to operated patients without these conditions (control group, CG). RESULTS: We identified 27 (11%) and 38 (15.5%) patients with history of SE or SC, respectively. No difference in post-operative outcome was found for SE and SC patients. Compared to the control group, patients with a history of SE were diagnosed and operated significantly at earlier age(p = 0.01), and after a shorter duration of the disease (p = 0.027), but with a similar age of onset. SIGNIFICANCE: A history of SE or SC was not associated with a worse post-operative prognosis. Earlier referral of SE patients for surgery suggests a heightened awareness regarding serious complications of recurrent SE by the referring neurologist or neuropediatrician. While the danger of SE is evident, policies to underline the impact for SC or very frequent seizures might be an efficient approach to accelerate patient referral also for this patient group.

Through the orbit and beyond: Current state and future perspectives in endoscopic orbital surgery on behalf of the EANS frontiers committee in orbital tumors and the EANS skull base section.

Introduction: Orbital surgery has always been disputed among specialists, mainly neurosurgeons, otorhinolaryngologists, maxillofacial surgeons and ophthalmologists. The orbit is a borderland between intra- and extracranial compartments; Krönlein's lateral orbitotomy and the orbitozygomatic infratemporal approach are the historical milestones of modern orbital-cranial surgery. Research question: Since its first implementation, endoscopy has significantly impacted neurosurgery, changing perspectives and approaches to the skull base. Since its first application in 2009, transorbital endoscopic surgery opened the way for new surgical scenario, previously feasible only with extensive tissue dissection. Material and methods: A PRISMA based literature search was performed to select the most relevant papers on the topic. Results: Here, we provide a narrative review on the current state and future trends in endoscopic orbital surgery. Discussion and conclusion: This manuscript is a joint effort of the EANS frontiers committee in orbital tumors and the EANS skull base section.

Combined petrosal approach: a systematic review and meta-analysis of surgical complications.

Transpetrosal approaches are known to be associated with a significant risk of complications, including CSF leak, facial palsy, hearing impairment, venous injury, and/or temporal lobe injury. We aimed to evaluate the morbidity of the standard combined petrosal approach (CPA), defined as a combination of the posterior (retrolabyrinthine) and the anterior petrosal approach. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of articles reporting on clinical series of patients operated on for petroclival meningiomas through CPA. Studies that used the terminology "combined petrosal approach" without matching the aforementioned definition were excluded as well as clinical series that included less than 5 patients. A total of 8 studies were included involving 160 patients. The pooled complication rates were 3% (95% CI, 0.5-5.6) for CSF leak, 8.6% (95% CI, 4.1-13.2%) for facial palsy, 8.2% (95% CI, 3.9-12.6%) for hearing impairment, 2.8% (95% CI, 0.9-6.5%) for venous complications, and finally 4.8% (95%, 1.2-8.4%) for temporal lobe injury. Contrary to the general belief, CPA is associated with an acceptable rate of complications, especially when compared to alternative approaches to the petroclival area. In view of the major advantages like shorter trajectory, multiple angles of surgical attack, and early tumor devascularization, CPA remains an important tool in the armamentarium of the skull base surgeon.

Basal Cisternostomy for Severe TBI: Surgical Technique and Cadaveric Dissection.

Introduction: Cisternostomy is emerging as a novel surgical technique in the setting of severe brain trauma. Different surgical techniques have been proposed with a variable degree of epidural bone work. We present here the surgical technique as it is currently performed in our Institution. Methods: Anatomical dissection of one adult cadaveric head, injected and non-formalin fixed was perfomed. A large right fronto-temporo-parietal craniotomy was accomplished. Extradural sphenoidal drilling till opening of the superior orbital fissure was performed. The microsurgical anatomy of basal cisternostomy was then explored. Results: A step by step description of the surgical technique, enriched with cadaveric and intraoperative images, was made. Conclusion: Basal cisternostomy is a promising surgical technique that does not necessarily include complex surgical maneuvers. Trained neurosurgeon can safely implement it in their clinical practice.

Endoscopic treatment of spinal arachnoid cysts.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Spinal arachnoid cysts (SAC) are intradural lesions, which may provoke a compression of the spinal cord and roots. Endoscopic techniques are increasingly used to minimize the surgical access and the postoperative scar tissue. Shunts may also represent an option. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the technique of endoscopic-assisted fenestration and positioning of a cysto-peritoneal diversion in a thoracic SAC using a flexible endoscope and to perform a systematic literature review on this subject. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We reported our case and we performed a review of the literature, searching for all the adult cases of Type III SACs in English language treated through endoscopic procedures. RESULTS: We found 5 articles matching our search criteria and we included 9 adult patients in our analysis. Six patients were females and the most common localization was the thoracic spine. Six patients underwent selective laminectomies followed by endoscopic fenestration without cyst wall resection. Three patients had a percutaneous endoscopic inspection of the cyst and in two cases a cysto-subarachnoid shunt space was performed. Improvement of pre-operative neurological deficit was reported in six patients, no patients experienced clinical deterioration. The mean follow-up was 22 months and no progression or recurrence was reported. CONCLUSION: The implementation of endoscopy allows a minimally invasive treatments with good visualization of cyst anatomy and precise shunt positioning under real-time guidance. Endoscopy is technically demanding but it can offer similar clinical outcomes when compared to microscopic procedures with a limited rate of post-operative complications.The long-term risk of recurrence should be established by prospective studies.

Petroclival meningiomas: update of current treatment and consensus by the EANS skull base section.

BACKGROUND: The optimal management of petroclival meningiomas (PCMs) continues to be debated along with several controversies that persist. METHODS: A task force was created by the EANS skull base section along with its members and other renowned experts in the field to generate recommendations for the management of these tumors. To achieve this, the task force reviewed in detail the literature in this field and had formal discussions within the group. RESULTS: The constituted task force dealt with the existing definitions and classifications, pre-operative radiological investigations, management of small and asymptomatic PCMs, radiosurgery, optimal surgical strategies, multimodal treatment, decision-making, and patient's counselling. CONCLUSION: This article represents the consensually derived opinion of the task force with respect to the management of PCMs.

Pediatric cranial osteoblastoma: Technical note of surgical treatment and review of the literature.

Osteoblastoma of the skull is a rare entity, and they account only for 2-4% of all the cases of osteoblastoma. We perform a comprehensive review of the pertinent literature on the subject and we report a case of a 3-year-old girl presenting with a 6-month history of a supraorbital mass and exophthalmos due to an osteoblastoma of the frontal and ethmoid bones involving the orbit and anterior skull base. A 3D printed model of the patient's skull was used for the preoperative planning and reconstruction strategy. Total en-bloc resection of the tumor followed by immediate reconstruction was achieved. No recurrence was detected 3 years after the surgery. Gross total resection is strongly advised with skull osteoblastoma, especially in young age, because of the risk of the recurrence and malignant transformation. 3D printing is proven to be a valuable tool to enhance surgical performance by avoiding complications while achieving total resection with accurate reconstruction. Long-term follow-up is important to detect recurrences and improve the management of these young patients.

Malignant PRES and RCVS after brain surgery in the early postpartum period.

The management of women with brain tumors in the early post-partum period may be demanding as the patho-physiological changes that occur during pregnancy may also manifest in the early post-partum period. The aim of our paper is to report a case of late-onset post-partum pre-eclampsia after brain tumor surgery, complicated by posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS). Hemicraniectomy and intensive care management were necessary to obtain a favorable neurological outcome. The inherent literature on the subject is also analyzed through a systematic research. This is the first case of supratentorial decompressive hemicraniectomy in post-partum PRES, while there has been only one other case of posterior fossa decompression described in this cohort of patients. PRES and RCVS can complicate the neurosurgical management of women in the postpartum period. A careful evaluation of the clinical presentation is necessary as in some particular cases an aggressive medical and surgical treatment is required to obtain a favorable outcome.

Damp mouldy housing and early childhood hospital admissions for acute respiratory infection: a case control study.

INTRODUCTION: A gap exists in the literature regarding dose-response associations of objectively assessed housing quality measures, particularly dampness and mould, with hospitalisation for acute respiratory infection (ARI) among children. METHODS: A prospective, unmatched case-control study was conducted in two paediatric wards and five general practice clinics in Wellington, New Zealand, over winter/spring 2011-2013. Children aged <2 years who were hospitalised for ARI (cases), and either seen in general practice with ARI not requiring admission or for routine immunisation (controls) were included in the study. Objective housing quality was assessed by independent building assessors, with the assessors blinded to outcome status, using the Respiratory Hazard Index (RHI), a 13-item scale of household quality factors, including an 8-item damp-mould subscale. The main outcome was case-control status. Adjusted ORs (aORs) of the association of housing quality measures with case-control status were estimated, along with the population attributable risk of eliminating dampness-mould on hospitalisation for ARI among New Zealand children. RESULTS: 188 cases and 454 controls were studied. Higher levels of RHI were associated with elevated odds of hospitalisation (OR 1.11/unit increase (95% CI 1.01 to 1.21)), which weakened after adjustment for season, housing tenure, socioeconomic status and crowding (aOR 1.04/unit increase (95% CI 0.94 to 1.15)). The damp-mould index had a significant, adjusted dose-response relationship with ARI admission (aOR 1.15/unit increase (95% CI 1.02 to 1.30)). By addressing these harmful housing exposures, the rate of admission for ARI would be reduced by 19% or 1700 fewer admissions annually. CONCLUSIONS: A dose-response relationship exists between housing quality measures, particularly dampness-mould, and young children's ARI hospitalisation rates. Initiatives to improve housing quality and to reduce dampness-mould would have a large impact on ARI hospitalisation.

Extreme lateral supracerebellar infratentorial approach: how I do it.

BACKGROUND: The extreme lateral supracerebellar infratentorial (ELSI) approach was initially proposed to treat lesions of the posterolateral surface of the pons principally cavernomas. The versatility of the approach allowed its use for other pathologies like gliomas, aneurysms, epidermoids, and meningiomas. METHOD: We describe here the ELSI approach along with its advantages and limits in comparison with other surgical approaches for the treatment of meningiomas of the petroclival region. CONCLUSION: ELSI is a versatile approach that allows access to the anterolateral brainstem surface including extensions to the midbrain diencephalic junction when needed. ELSI compares favorably to other surgical alternatives with respect to the approach-related morbidity, while allowing adequate access to treat the pathology.

Neuroendoscopic septostomy: Indications and surgical technique.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic septostomy is the treatment of choice for monolateral obstruction of the foramen of Monro. Common causes of this condition include: neoplasms, hemorrages, infections, congenital atresia, idiopathic occlusion. METHOD: All the steps for performing a safe endoscopic pellucidotomy are presented. A brief discussion about the most common technical variations and their rationale is added. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic pellucidotomy is a safe and effective treatment when a thorough understanding of anatomy is achieved.

Host biotin is required for liver stage development in malaria parasites.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) is a biotin-dependent enzyme that is the target of several classes of herbicides. Malaria parasites contain a plant-like ACC, and this is the only protein predicted to be biotinylated in the parasite. We found that ACC is expressed in the apicoplast organelle in liver- and blood-stage malaria parasites; however, it is activated through biotinylation only in the liver stages. Consistent with this observation, deletion of the biotin ligase responsible for ACC biotinylation does not impede blood-stage growth, but results in late liver-stage developmental defects. Biotin depletion increases the severity of the developmental defects, demonstrating that parasite and host biotin metabolism are required for normal liver-stage progression. This finding may link the development of liver-stage malaria parasites to the nutritional status of the host, as neither the parasite nor the human host can synthesize biotin.

Gamma oscillatory activity in vitro: a model system to assess pathophysiological mechanisms of comorbidity between autism and epilepsy.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and temporal lobe epilepsy exhibit remarkable comorbidity, but for reasons not clearly understood. To reveal a common pathophysiological mechanism, we here describe and characterize an in vitro epileptiform activity in the rat hippocampus that exhibits common features with in vivo activity in rodent ASD models. We discovered the development of this activity in the CA1 region of horizontal slices after prolonged interictal-like epileptiform activity in the CA3 region that was provoked by incubation in high potassium artificial cerebrospinal fluid. The CA1 epileptiform bursts were insensitive to blockers of glutamatergic transmission, and were carried by synaptic as well as extrasynaptic, tonically activated gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptors. The bursts bear resemblance to in vivo gamma-oscillatory activity found in rat ASD models with respect to their gamma frequency spectrum, their origin (in the CA1), and their sensitivity to blockers of cation-chloride pumps (NKCC1 and KCC2), as well as to oxytocin. Considering this bursting activity as an in vitro model for studying comorbidity between epilepsy and ASD may help to disentangle the intricate interactions that underlie the comorbidity between both diseases and suggests that extrasynaptic tonic GABAergic transmission could represent a potential target for ASD.

Neuroglial intramedullary tumors: The collaboration between neurosurgeons and neuropathologists.

Intramedullary tumors constitute approximately 5% of spinal tumors and about 80% are of neuroglial origin. We reviewed our series of adult patients with spinal neuroglial intramedullary tumors operated on between 1984 and 2011 at the neurosurgical department of Bicêtre hospital. The histopathological records for 196 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The majority of tumors were ependymomas (68%) and astrocytomas (27.5%). The importance of a proper and detailed neuropathological diagnosis is the key to define patient management. The available literature data about the genetic profiles of these rare tumors are summarized and reviewed.

Cerebral abscess after neuro-vascular embolization: Own experience and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral abscesses are a rare complication after therapeutic neuro-endovascular procedures. METHOD: The aim of this article is to report a case of cerebral abscess after the endovascular embolization of a cerebral aneurysm and to discuss and review all the cases of cerebral abscess secondary to neurovascular embolization described in the literature up to now. RESULTS: A 40-year-old female patient was treated using an endovascular embolization for a ruptured aneurysm of the basilar artery tip. After 2 months she presented with a cerebellar abscess. Antibiotic therapy was started, and a surgical drainage of the collection was performed, with a favorable postoperative outcome. Twelve other cases were reported in the literature, in five cases secondary to the treatment of a cerebral aneurysm, in six cases secondary to a cerebral arterio-venous malformation (AVM) and in one case secondary to a dural arterio-venous fistula (DAVF). The pathophysiology and risk factors of cerebral abscess formation are discussed in detail. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of cerebral abscesses after neuro-endovascular embolization is not negligible, and a growing number of patients affected by this complication may be expected in the near future because of the spreading of neuro-endovascular techniques. The role of prophylactic antibiotic therapy in specific subgroups of patients is still debated.

Intramedullary hemangioblastoma: Microsurgical resection technique.

Spinal hemangioblastomas are benign and highly vascular tumors accounting for 1-5% of intramedullary spinal tumors in surgical series. Surgery is curative in sporadic cases. We present the description of a surgical technique to safely resect an intramedullary hemangioblastoma. A dorsal midline myelotomy provides an excellent exposure of the tumor and identification of the feeding arteries. Interruption of these arteries and precise dissection of the tumor from the cord tissue followed by division of the venous drainage allow the in toto excision of the tumor. Closure of the dorsal myelotomy may be achieved with sequential fusion of the pial and arachnoid edges using a "welding" technique.

Primary pituitary lymphoma: an update of the literature.

Primary intracranial lymphomas (Weller et al. in Neuro Oncol 14(12):1481-1484, 2012) are an emerging disease and an isolated localization in the pituitary gland i.e. primary pituitary lymphoma (PPL) represents a rare condition. We present an update of the most recent evidence for PPL through a systematic review of the literature. A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed database up to October 2015. The population was defined as immunocompetent patients with a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of PPL. Patients' characteristics, clinical presentation, radiological features, pathology reports, adjuvant treatment and follow-up data were analyzed. We reported one case of PPL and included our data in this analysis. A total of 33 cases of PPL were identified, including ours. A slight not significant female prevalence was evident, with a mean age of 59 years at diagnosis. Visual troubles and headaches were the most common presenting symptoms. About 80 % of patients presented a cranial nerve (CN) deficit. The most frequently involved were the II and III CN. Anterior hypopituitarism was present in 70 % of cases and a diabetes insipidus in 36 % of cases. PPL was rarely limited to the sella and most often extended to the suprasellar and parasellar space. 70 % of cases underwent resection, 21 % a biopsy. A B-cell lymphoma was isolated in 82 % of cases, a T-cell lymphoma in 15 % and a NK/T cell lymphoma in one case. Overall mean survival rate was 14.4 months (95 % confidence interval 9.0-19.8 months) and there was no difference in terms of survival rates when patients were stratified according to the treatment they received. PPL is an emerging clinical entity. Literature data are too scarce to allow the definition of specific protocols of treatment and the management is based on the guidelines present for PCNSL. The role of surgery aiming at a complete resection of PPL should be reevaluated in wider studies including only this category of patients, to establish the real role of each therapeutic strategy.