Spontaneous acute subdural hematomas. A clinical comparison with traumatic acute subdural hematomas.

A comparison was made between factors influencing survival in patients operated on for acute spontaneous subdural hematomas (ASSH) and other groups of patients operated for acute, post-traumatic, subdural hematoma reported in the literature. The data of 17 patients operated on for ASSH were collected. Four variables: early surgical treatment, high Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission, pupillary reactivity and age were statistically analyzed. The most significant factors for good outcome, in order of importance, were early surgical treatment, a high Glasgow Come Scale score on admission, good pupillary reactivity and younger age. The prognostic factors in non-traumatic and traumatic acute subdural hematomas were found to be identical.

Gunshot wound of the atlas in a youth.

The case of a bullet retained, without causing neurological symptoms, in the anterior arch of a youth's atlas after a gun had been fired a short distance from his mouth is reported. The patient was managed with external stabilization.

Cavernous angioma of the VIIIth cranial nerve. A case report.

We report a case of a 24-year-old woman affected by a cavernous angioma of the right VIIIth cranial nerve associated with a venous angioma. The malformation was diagnosed by MRI, performed in relation to an acute onset of right anacusia. The case report is indicative that, even if unusual, an acute onset of an cerebellopontine angle syndrome can be subsequent to a bleeding cavernous angioma. This occurrence must be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of the cerebellopontine angle tumors.

Surgically verified case of optic sheath nerve meningocele: case report with review of the literature.

Optic sheath meningocele is rare; only approximately 31 cases have been reported. The term optic sheath meningocele has recently been proposed by Garrity and Forbes to describe primary CSF cysts of the optic nerve sheath, without apical mass or malformation of the cranio-orbital junction. Presenting symptoms are often related to involvement of the optic nerve, with a slow or rapid decrease of visual acuity. CT and MRI studies reveal a tubular-cystic enlargement of the optic nerve/optic sheath complex (on/onsc), with thickening of the optic nerve. Radiological differential diagnosis should include optic nerve tumors such as gliomas, meningiomas, and arachnoid cysts involving the optic nerve sheath. Up to now, it seems that early surgical management by means of optic nerve/optic nerve sheath decompression affords an improvement of visual function with minimal morbidity in patients who present a rapid decrease of visual acuity within 3-6 months. We present an additional case and discuss the clinical, radiological, and operative features of this pathological condition of the optic nerve sheath.

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia with cardiac syncope.

Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia is an uncommon craniofacial pain syndrome that is occasionally associated with cardiac syncope. Involvement of the glossopharyngeal nerve may be painless or may be marked by true episodic neuralgia, and this justifies the term neuralgia reported here. We present 5 cases of this uncommon syndrome, of a total of 15 observed cases of glossopharyngeal neuralgia, successfully treated by section of the rootlets of Cranial Nerves IX and X or by microvascular decompression in the posterior cranial fossa. We also analyze the relevant literature and discuss the pathogenesis and treatment of the syndrome.

Pseudo-cystic dilatation of suprapineal recess. Case report.

We report an odd case of marked enlargement of suprapineal recess in a patient with triventricular hydrocephalus. Radiological diagnostic steps and etiological theories are discussed.

Gangliogliomas of the cerebral hemispheres. Report of 14 cases with long-term follow-up and review of the literature.

This retrospective study focuses on 14 patients with ganglioglioma of the cerebral hemispheres who received surgical treatment in the Neurosciences Department/Neurosurgery of "La Sapienza" University of Rome between 1953 and 1990. The data are analyzed together with those on 98 published cases of ganglioglioma confined to the cerebral hemispheres. These tumours have no sex preference but a decided preference for the young (mean age 18 years). They are characterized by a history of epilepsy often of long standing and sometimes refractory to drugs. The most frequent site is the temporal lobe (61%). At operation the tumour proved to be solid in 52% of cases and the satellite cyst at the tumour wall in 48%. Removal was total in 65% of cases. Even after subtotal removal, the prognosis is good in terms both of survival and of seizure control. Radiotherapy seems to have no role in the treatment of these tumours.

"Dural tail" adjacent to acoustic neuroma on MRI: a case report.

A "dural tail" on Gd-DTPA-enhanced MRI has been often observed adjacent to meningiomas and considered to be useful in distinguishing meningioma of the cerebellopontine angle from acoustic neuroma. However, demonstration of a dural tail adjacent to an acoustic neuroma indicates that this sign is not specific.