Management of Persistent Syringomyelia in Patients Operated for Chiari Malformation Type 1.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of persistent syringomyelia associated with Chiari malformation type 1 (CM1) is unclear. This study aims to evaluate the clinical and radiologic outcomes of syringo-subarachnoid shunt (SSS) as a treatment for persistent syringomyelia following posterior fossa decompression (PFD) for CM1. METHODS: Forty-nine cases treated for CM1 associated syringomyelia at a single center were analyzed, 17 of them undergoing reoperation due to persistent syrinx formation. The patients' demographic data, neurologic presentations, and radiologic results were analyzed, including cerebellar herniation, posterior fossa volume, the level at which the syrinx started and finished, the size and diameter of the syrinx. RESULTS: Seventeen patients underwent SSS placement, with 1 minor surgical complication (a cerebrospinal fluid leak) occurring and requiring revision. No morbidity or mortality was observed. Among these 17 reoperated patients, partial or complete resorption of the syrinx was observed in all cases. The results suggest that if the syrinx diameter is >10 mm at its thickest point, extends for more than 10 vertebrae, and starts from the upper cervical region and extends to the upper thoracic region, the syrinx may not regress after the first surgery and potentially predicting the need for a second operation before PFD. CONCLUSIONS: SSS placement for persistent syrinx following PFD for CM1 is a safe and effective surgical treatment method. These criteria may also help predict the need for a second surgery and the overall disease outcome for both the surgeon and patient.

Lumbar Intradiscal Ozone Chemonucleolysis Applied Together with the Epidural Steroid Treatment.

OBJECTIVES: Intradiscal ozone treatment is a minimally-invasive method that can be applied to patients who have low back pain and do not respond to conservative treatment. This retrospectively designed study aimed to evaluate its clinical efficacy, adverse effects, or complication rates. METHODS: Patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD) who underwent intradiscal O2-O3 treatment between January 2016 and April 2018 were included in the study. Pain and disability levels were assessed at pre-injection, 1-month and 1-year post-injection periods using visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), respectively. RESULTS: A total of 520 patients (270 males and 250 females) with the mean age of 38.9±5.7 years included in the study. First-month and 1st-year post-injection VAS and ODI scores were significantly lower than pre-injection scores (p<0.001). Remarkable VAS score reduction (more than 50%) was found in 60.2% of patients at 1st month and in 52.9% of patients at the 1st year. No important side effects recorded. CONCLUSION: Intradiscal ozone therapy applied together with the epidural steroid treatment, one of the percutaneous application techniques for the treatment of low back pain related to LDDD, has successful outcomes, clinical efficacy, and low rate of side effects, and thus, is one of the methods that should be considered before surgery when appropriate patients.

Early cranioplasty associated with a lower rate of post-traumatic hydrocephalus after decompressive craniectomy for traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic hydrocephalus (PTH) is one of the primary complications during the course of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of this study was to define factors associated with the development of PTH in patients who underwent unilateral decompressive craniectomy (DC) for TBI. METHODS: A total of 126 patients, who met the inclusion criteria of the study, were divided into two groups: patients with PTH (n = 25) and patients without PTH (n = 101). Their demographic, clinical, radiological, operative, and postoperative factors, which may be associated with the development of PTH, were compared. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that cranioplasty performed later than 2 months following DC was significantly associated with the requirement for ventriculoperitoneal shunting due to PTH (p < 0.001). Also, a significant unfavorable outcome rate was observed in patients with PTH at 1-year follow-up according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that early cranioplasty within 2 months after DC was associated with a lower rate of PTH development after TBI.

Cranio-Orbital Tumors: Clinical Results and A Surgical Approach.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to share the surgical approaches and clinical experiences of cranio-orbital tumors, which are surgically difficult anatomies. METHODS: A total of 22 orbital tumors with extraorbital-transcranial pathology between January 2004 and December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Information was obtained from hospital, operation and outpatient records for this study. Preoperative demographic data, ophthalmologic examination findings, clinical and radiological findings were recorded. All patients had cranial magnetic resonance and cranial computerised tomography examinations at this time. The location of the tumor, its size and its relation to neighboring structures were recorded in the light of these examinations. RESULTS: The lateral approach was performed in 12 cases. The lateral approach was performed with frontotemporal craniotomy. Because of the lateral inferior location of the tumor in three of 12 cases, zygoma osteotomy was added to classical osteotomy. In 10 cases, the anterior approach was applied and the frontal craniotomy was found sufficient in seven cases. In three cases subfrontal craniotomy was added to classical craniotomy. CONCLUSION: The findings obtained in this study suggest that high resection rates can be achieved with appropriate surgical intervention in orbital tumors requiring a transcranial surgical approach. The most important factor in surgical planning is the location of the tumor. The size of the tumor and the expectation of the percentage of surgical removal are the other important factors. In our series, it has reached high excision ratio in most cases with low complication rate, good visual field and eye movements results.

Solitary Extramedullary Plasmacytoma Mimicking Acute Subdural Hematoma.

BACKGROUND: Solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma (SEP) is a plasma cell neoplasm located outside the bone. It is rarely observed in the intracranial area. It is very difficult to diagnose this condition radiologically before surgery. In addition, dural SEP is usually misdiagnosed. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report a case of plasmacytoma that presented as altered mental status after head trauma, located in the subdural area. We also describe its differential diagnosis and treatment by total removal and adjuvant radiotherapy. The 66-month follow-up findings showed distant plasmacytoma development, which was treated with radiotherapy alone. CONCLUSIONS: Some pathological entities should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute subdural hematomas. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of dural SEP mimicking acute subdural hematoma.

Chronic subdural hematoma associated with arachnoid cyst of the middle fossa : Surgical treatment and mid-term results in fifteen patients.

AIM: We report the neurological and radiological features, surgical management and Mid-term outcome in a series of patients with chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) and associated ipsilateral arachnoid cyst (AC) of the middle fossa. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between August 2004 and August 2012, 453 patients were treated with diagnosis of CSDH in our clinic. Of those, 15 patients had ipsilateral arachnoid cyst in the middle fossa. A single burr hole craniostomy was performed to drain the hematoma and the AC left intact at first in 14 patients, one patient had no surgical intervention. Follow-up period ranged from 13 months to 88 months (mean 43.07 ± 23.23 months). RESULTS: The patients having CSDH with AC were found to be younger than the patients with CSDH alone, the mean age was 13.93 ±12.37 years Eleven patients had head trauma 21 to 50 days before admission. Hematoma evacuation through a single burr hole and closed system subdural drainage 2 to 4 days after surgery improved the symptoms in all patients. Two patients developed subdural fluid collection which is treated by subduroperitoneal shunt placement. CONCLUSION: Greater prevalence of ACs in patients with CSDHs has been reported in the literature. We recommend the drainage of the hematoma via a single craniostomy and to leave the AC intact as the first choice of treatment if the associated AC is a Galassi type I or II. Additional subduroperitoneal shunting may be performed in patients with Galassi type III cyst.

Inverse Association Between Basilar Artery Volume and Neuron Density in the Stellate Ganglion Following Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Ligation: An Experimental Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between neuron density in the stellate ganglion and the severity of basilar artery (BA) enlargement after bilateral common carotid artery ligation. METHODS: Rabbits (n = 24) were randomly divided into 3 groups: unoperated control group (n = 4), experimental group subjected to bilateral common carotid artery ligation (n = 15), and sham-operated control group (n = 5). Histologic examination of the BAs and stellate ganglia was performed 2 months later. Permanent bilateral common carotid artery ligation was induced by ligation of common carotid arteries at prebifurcation levels as a model for steno-occlusive carotid artery disease. RESULTS: Mean BA volume and neuron density in stellate ganglia for all animals were 4200 µm3 ± 240 and 8325 µm3 ± 210. In sham-operated animals, the mean values were 4360 µm3 ± 340 and 8250 mm3 ± 250. For the experimental group, mean volume and density in animals with slight dilatation of the BA (n = 6) were 4948 µm3 ± 680 and 10,321 mm3 ± 120, whereas in animals with severe dilatation (n = 9), the values were 6728 µm3 ± 440 and 6300 mm3 ± 730. An inverse association was observed between degree of BA enlargement and stellate ganglia neuronal density. CONCLUSIONS: High neuron density in stellate ganglia may protect against steno-occlusive carotid artery disease by preventing BA dilatation and aneurysm formation in the posterior circulatory arteries.

Computerized Tomography-Guided Stereotactic Biopsy of Intracranial Lesions: Report of 500 Consecutive Cases.

AIM: Computed tomography (CT)-guided stereotactic brain biopsy has been performed in our clinic since March 1998. In this prospective study, we examined the patient data undergoing stereotactic biopsy and the results of biopsies in 500 consecutive patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between the dates of March 1998 and January 2015, CT-guided stereotactic biopsies were performed by using the Leksell stereotactic frame system (Elekta Instruments EU, Sweden) in 500 patients. A total of 512 procedures were performed in patients consisting of 184 females (36.8%) and 316 males (63.2%), ages ranging from 3 to 81 years (mean 50.40±16.67). RESULTS: Conclusive histopathological diagnosis was not achieved in 17(3.3%) of 512 procedures. Of the others, 173 (33.8%) were high-grade gliomas, 103 (20.1%) were low-grade gliomas, 36 (7%) were malignant lymphomas, 34 (6.6%) were other types of brain tumors, 82 (16%) were metastasis and 67 (13.1%) were non-tumoral lesions. Complications were occurred in ten cases: 3 tumoral bleedings, 2 hypertensive cerebral hematomas, 2 peroperative convulsions, 1 epidural hematoma, 1 myocardial infarction and 1 brain edema. The patients who developed myocardial infarction and hypertensive thalamic hematoma died. The mortality was 0.4% and morbidity was 1.6% in 512 procedures. CONCLUSION: CT-guided stereotactic biopsy is a reliable and a safe procedure in cases with intracranial lesions when histopathological diagnosis is required for the appropriate treatment.

Factors that Affect Postoperative Hydrocephalus Development in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Clinical Study.

AIM: Factors affecting the development of postoperative hydrocephalus patients who underwent surgery after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage were retrospectively assessed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 201 cases, who underwent aneurysm surgery in our clinic after subarachnoid hemorrhage between 2008 and 2013, were retrospectively assessed. Twenty-one cases with hydrocephalus development were retrospectively examined according to their age, gender, history (hypertension, alcohol, and smoking), blood type, the number and size of aneurysms, aneurysm localization, the presence of ventricular hemorrhage, baseline-final neurological diagnosis, Fisher grading system, history of vasospasm and meningitis. The initial neurological course and Hunt-Hess, and also final neurological course of the patients were evaluated according to World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) Grading Scale. RESULTS: Age, history of hypertension, aneurysm localization, Hunt-Hess grading, vasospasm, meningitis and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) are determinative factors in hydrocephalus development due to subarachnoid hemorrhage. It was detected that gender, alcohol and tobacco use, blood group, the size and the number of aneurysm, the presence of intraventricular hemorrhage and Fisher grading were not the determinative factors in the patients. CONCLUSION: In patients who underwent surgery for subarachnoid hemorrhage, risk factors for postoperative hydrocephalus should be determined and the patients with these risk factors should be closely monitored.

Spinal nerve root compositions of musculocutaneous nerve: an anatomical study.

AIM: This study was aimed to investigate the variations in the spinal nerve root compositions of musculocutaneous nerve and to confirm which spinal nerve root is the main ingredient in participating amount. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 20 fresh cadavers were dissected. Brachial plexus and its branches were extracted. Musculocutaneous nerve stump was traced back to the roots to identify its fascicular origin. The number of fascicles originating from a particular nerve root and their axial location with in the nerve were noted. RESULTS: The most frequent type of spinal nerve compositions of musculocutaneous nerve was C5, C6, and C7 with incidence of 60%. Musculocutaneous nerve had bundles from C5 root in all specimens, 90% of the specimens had contribution from C6 and only 70% of them had bundles from C7 root. There were a total of 46 (37.7%) bundles in C5 fascicles, 48 (39.3%) bundles in C6 fascicles, and 28 (22.9%) bundles in C7 fascicles. CONCLUSIONS: In electrophysiological studies it should be remembered that C7 or C6 lesions may not impair musculocutaneous nerve functions. The success of musculocutaneous nerve neurotization may be improved if care is taken to ensure whether or not C7 root is contributing to the musculocutaneous nerve.

Immunohistochemical expression of ErbB2 in adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas: a possible target for immunotherapy.

AIM: To determine the immunohistochemical expression of ErbB2 in adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (ACP) and to assess its relationship with nuclear expression of ß-catenin in surgically resected human ACP tissue sections and to estimate whether these tumors could be candidates for anti-ErbB2 therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The ErbB2 and ß-catenin immunostaining was performed on paraffin embedded tissue sections of 20 ACP using avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method. ErbB2 immunoreactivity was interpreted according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology/ College of American Pathologists criterions for breast carcinoma. RESULTS: Foci of nuclear reactivity for ß-catenin was observed in all ACP tissue specimens mainly concentrated in whorl like arrays of the epithelial cells. Two (10%) of the cases were score 3+ for ErbB2 as demonstrated by strong complete membrane staining. However, the localization of 3+ ErbB2 cells was different from those with nuclear ß-catenin immunoreactivity. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary data demonstrate score 3+ staining for ErbB2 in 10% of ACP and different localization of 3+ ErbB2 cells and cells with nuclear ß-catenin immunoreactivity. However, because of the small number of cases, further studies with larger samples should be conducted to verify and validate our preliminary data and to determine the effect of ErbB2 protein in ACP cell growth, survival and differentiation.

Giant osteoid osteoma of the ethmoid bone with unusual large nidus.

Osteoid osteoma (OO) is a benign bone neoplasm which is seen in the long bones of appendicular skeleton. It is rarely seen in the cranium. Ethmoid bone OO has been very rarely reported so far. We report another case of giant osteoid osteoma involving the ethmoid bone with intraorbital and intracranial extension in a 3O year old female patient. This case with unusual anatomical location was presented. It is first time reporting a giant osteoid osteoma of ethmoid bone with such a large nidus.

Clip ligation of unruptured intracranial aneurysms: a prospective midterm outcome study.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a prospective study to investigate the clinical and radiological outcome in a surgical case series of 176 patients with 203 unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA). METHODS: The success of aneurysm obliteration was assessed within 2 weeks after surgery by digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Patients also underwent angiography 5 years after surgery. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). All predictors of poor surgical outcomes were assessed using an exact logistic regression. RESULTS: Overall, 83 % of the patients had a good outcome (mRS score 0 or 1); 10.8 % of the patients had a slight disability (mRS score 2), and 6.2 % of the patients had a moderate or moderate-severe disability (mRS score 3 or 4). The mortality rate was 0 % overall. The most important predictors of outcome were presence of history of ischemic cerebrovascular disease and postoperative stroke. Complete aneurysm occlusion was achieved in 93.5 % of all aneurysms. Sixty percent of treated aneurysms were checked with late follow-up DSA. No cases of hemorrhage from a surgically obliterated UIA were documented in this series during the 7.3 ± 1.4 (SD)-year follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: If patients are carefully selected and individually assigned to their optimum treatment modality, IUAs can be obliterated by surgery with a low percentage of unfavorable outcomes.

Clinical outcomes of myelomeningocele defect closure over 10 years.

We report our surgical procedures for the closure of myelomeningocele defects. A retrospective analysis of 162 patients (74 male [45.7%], 88 female [54.3%]) with myelomeningocele was performed and the relationship between hydrocephalus, neurological status and the level and size of the myelomeningocele was described according to type of defect closure. Patients were divided into four groups according to the size of the defect, which was classified into ranges of 0-24 cm(2), 25-39 cm(2), 40-60 cm(2) and >60 cm(2). Myelomeningocele occurred in the lumbar region in 114 patients (70%). The minimum defect size was 3×2 cm, and the maximum defect size was 15×15 cm (mean defect size=34.64 cm(2)). We found that primary closure can be performed on clean, small defects with an intact sac that contains cerebrospinal fluid and the neural placode. For defects larger than 25 cm(2) that contained perforated sacculas, more soft tissue for well-vascularized coverage was required. Bilateral V-Y fasciocutaneous flaps are a good choice for immediate coverage of myelomeningocele defects.

Risk factors for recurrent shunt infections in children.

Risk factors for recurrent shunt-related cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) infections were analyzed. A total of 58 children were treated for initial shunt infections (ISI): all children were treated with antibiotics and CSF drainage, either by removal of the shunt system and insertion of an external ventricular drainage (EVD) catheter (44 children, 75.9%) or by externalization of the existing ventricular catheter (14 children, 24.1%). Recurrent shunt infections (RSI) were detected in 15 children: nine had been treated with shunt removal and insertion of a new EVD catheter and six had been treated with externalization of the existing ventricular catheter. There was a statistically significant increase in the number of RSI in children treated with externalization of the existing ventricular catheter. Thus, to reduce the risk of RSI, total shunt removal and insertion of a new EVD catheter is preferred.

Unilateral frontal interhemispheric transfalcial approaches for the removal of olfactory groove meninjiomas.

AIM: A unilateral subfrontal interhemispheric transfalcial approach for the removal of olfactory groove meningiomas (OGM) was evaluated in terms of surgical technique, complications, clinical outcomes, and recurrence rate. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-four females and eighteen males with a mean age of 59 years were operated on for OGM within a 12- year (1996-2008) period. The pre- and post-operative Mini-Mental Test (MMT) scores, visual impairment scores (VIS), pre-operative clinical symptoms (headache, epileptic seizure and anosmia), Karnofsky performance scores (KPS), tumor size and tumor extensions were evaluated. The effects of the pre-operative parameters on post-operative MMT, VIS and KPS were investigated. RESULTS: Tumor size and pre-operative MMT significantly affected pre-operative KPS. Mean tumor diameter was 5.6±0.8 cm. Total excision was achieved in 97.6% of all cases. No peri-operative mortality was seen. Ten patients (23.8%) experienced surgery-related complications. The mean follow-up period of cases was 52 months, and the rate of residual tumor re-growth was 2.3%. No parameter showed any effect on post-operative KPS, as no significant difference was seen between pre- and post-operative KPS. A significant positive difference was detected between pre- and post-operative MMT and VIS. CONCLUSION: A unilateral subfrontal interhemispheric transfalcial approach can be the preferred modality for treating OGM.

Midterm outcome after a microsurgical unilateral approach for bilateral decompression of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis.

OBJECT: The aim of this study was to evaluate the results and effectiveness of bilateral decompression via a unilateral approach in the treatment of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS). METHODS: Operations were performed in 84 selected patients (mean age 62.1 ± 10 years) with lumbar DS between the years 2001 and 2008. The selection criteria included lower back pain with or without sciatica, neurogenic claudication that had not improved after at least 6 months of conservative treatment, and a radiological diagnosis of Grade I DS and lumbar stenosis. Decompression was performed at 3 levels in 15.5%, 2 levels in 54.8%, and 1 level in 29.7% of the patients with 1 level of spondylolisthesis. All patients were followed up for at least 24 months. For clinical evaluations, a visual analog scale, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Neurogenic Claudication Outcome Score (NCOS) were used. Spinal canal size and (neutral and dynamic) slip percentages were measured both pre- and postoperatively. RESULTS: Neutral and dynamic slip percentages did not significantly change after surgery (p = 0.67 and p = 0.63, respectively). Spinal canal size increased from 50.6 ± 5.9 to 102.8 ± 9.5 mm(2) (p < 0.001). The ODI decreased significantly in both the early and late follow-up evaluations, and good or excellent results were obtained in 64 cases (80%). The NCOS demonstrated significant improvement in the late follow-up results (p < 0.001). One patient (1.2%) required secondary fusion during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative clinical improvement and radiological findings clearly demonstrated that the unilateral approach for treating 1-level and multilevel lumbar spinal stenosis with DS is a safe, effective, and minimally invasive method in terms of reducing the need for stabilization.

The effect of choroidal artery vasospasm on choroid plexus injury in subarachnoid hemorrhage: experimental study.

AIM: We examined whether vasospasm of choroidal arteries (ChAs) may be resulted in ischemic injury in choroid plexus (CP) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study has been conducted on 30 rabbits. Eight, fourteen and eight of them were used as control, SAH and SHAM groups, respectively. The volumes of choroidal arteries were examined and measured by using the micrometric microscope barr. Ischemic morphological changes of the choroid plexus cells and villus were examined as follows: cellular shrinkage (1 point), cytoplasmic condensation (2 points), angulation (3 points) and villus desquamation (4 points) were considered as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th degree downward choroid plexus degeneration criteria. Degeneration scores of 1 to 4 criteria were calculated by summing the exacerbated ones with the existing one. RESULTS: Choroidal artery diameter&volume, and CP degeneration scores in three groups were evaluated: The mean volumes were 1.080 ± 0.650 mm³, 0.907 ± 0.330 mm³, 0.480 ± 0.175 mm³ and the degeneration scores of choroidal plexuses were scored as 0 and 1- 1, and 4- 3 and 10 in the control, SHAM and SAH groups respectively. A significant correlation between the degree of vasospasm and CP degeneration was found. CONCLUSION: Vasospasm of choroidal arteries may be at a serious degree in cases with SAH incurs damages on choroid plexuses, and affects structures which play important roles in immune, endocrine, detoxifying, thermoregulatory, and secretory functions of the brain resulting in worsened prognosis.

The effect of degenerated neuron density of petrosal ganglion on the development of blood pressure variabilities after subarachnoid hemorrhage in a rabbit model: an experimental study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between ischemic neurodegeneration, of the petrosal ganglion of the glossopharyngeal nerve, and BP fluctuations, after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-four rabbits had their blood pressure and heart rhythms studied daily over 20 days. Then, the histopathology of the petrosal ganglion was examined in all animals. Normal and apoptotic neuron density of the petrosal ganglion and blood pressure values were compared statistically. RESULTS: Mean total volume of the petrosal ganglia was calculated as 0.9 ± 0.34/mm3. BP level of control group was 96.1 ± 2.1 mmHg; 116.5 ± 4 mmHg of mild hypertension (HT) group and 128.1 ± 3.6mmHg in the severe HT group. When the groups were compared to each other they were significantly different. The level of normal-apoptotic neuron in control group was 11,240 ± 802/mm³ -40 ± 6.3/mm³; 9730 ± 148.7/mm³ - 1560 ± 256.2/mm³ in the mild HT group and 6870 ± 378.8/mm³-4240 ± 628.2/mm³ in the severe HT group. When the groups were compared to each other there was significantly difference. CONCLUSION: Blood pressure variability observed in this study may be explained by ischemic neurodegeneration of petrosal ganglia caused by SAH. The results of this study suggest that petrosal ganglion ischemia has potential implications for the development of hypertension. These findings suggest that new treatment strategies should be considered for the treatment of SAH.

Recurrent cerebral arteriovenous malformation with a posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm.

AIM: Cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are congenital lesions which rarely recur after complete microsurgical excision. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This case report presents a 35-year-old woman who had been referred with a hemorrhagic AVM five years ago. This patient has recently undergone microsurgical excision for her left parieto-occipital Grade II AVM and surgical clipping of the left posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysm which was concomitantly detected. She is the oldest case reported whose AVM recurred as Grade III, which is bigger than her first AVM associated with an aneurysm. CONCLUSION: Although some authors do not propose routine additional follow-up in adults after the initial negative postoperative angiogram, we believe that such patients should be followed clinically and radiologically.