Use of Neuroanatomic Knowledge and Neuronavigation System for a Safe Anterior Petrosectomy.

INTRODUCTION: The petroclival region is among the most challenging anatomical areas to deal with in skull base surgery. Drilling of the anterior part of the petrous bone during the anterior transpetrosal approach involves the risk of injury of the cochlea, superior semicircular canal, internal carotid artery, and internal auditory canal. A thorough understanding of the microneurosurgical anatomy of this region is mandatory to execute the transpetrosal approaches, decreasing the risk of complications. The aim of this study is to describe the anatomical structures of the petroclival region, highlighting the importance of neuronavigation for safe performance of the anterior transpetrosal approach. METHODS: Three adult cadaveric human heads were formalin-fixed and injected with colored silicone. They underwent an axial 1 mm slab CT scan, which was used for neuronavigation during the surgical approaches. The anterior petrosectomy was performed with the aid of neuronavigation during the drilling of the petrous bone. The surgical management of a patient harboring a petroclival meningioma, operated on using an anterior transpetrosal approach, was reported as an illustrative case. RESULTS: The anterior petrosectomy was completed accurately with wide exposure of the surgical target without injuring the cochlea and other structures in all three cadaveric specimens. In the surgical case, no approach-related complications occurred, and a gross total resection of the tumor was achieved. CONCLUSIONS: Deep knowledge of the location and relationships of the vital elements located within the temporal bone, along with the use of neuronavigation, are the key aspects to perform the anterior transpetrosal approach safely, reducing the risk of complications.

Tension pneumocephalus, an uncommon complication of oxygen therapy in preterm newborns. Presentation of a case and literature review. / Neumoencéfalo a tensión, una extraña complicación del uso de oxígeno en neonatos. Descripción de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

Tension pneumocephalus is an extremely rare complication of positive-pressure ventilation in neonates, the diagnosis of which requires a high degree of clinical suspicion. We present the case of a preterm newborn, who received high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy because of hyaline membrane disease, due to his prematurity, and developed clinical signs of intracranial hypertension. Transfontanellar ultrasound and cranial CT scan revealed significant tension pneumocephalus, which was evacuated with direct needle puncture through the anterior fontanelle.

Intrathecal baclofen as a treatment for spasticity: Review of the cases treated in our hospital. / Baclofeno intratecal para el tratamiento de la espasticidad: revisión de los casos presentes tratados en nuestro servicio.

INTRODUCTION: Spasticity represents a medical problem whose incidence is increasing during the last years due to pathologies such as cerebral palsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, trauma or encephalopathy, affecting both adults and children. The treatments include rehabilitation, pharmacotherapy and surgery, among which we highlight intrathecal baclofen infusion devices. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Intrathecal baclofen devices implanted patients in Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Compostela from 2005 to 2018 were selected for retrospective analysis using assessment of spasticity scales, such as Ashworth scale. Complications are described. RESULTS: Surgery was performed in 17 patients for baclofen pump implant, achieving an improvement of 2 points on the Ashworth Scale in 88,2% of the patients and of 1 point on the Penn Scale in 94%. Complications were seen in 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Intrathecal baclofen is a simple technique with good results for improving the quality of life of patients with spasticity.

[Cerebral infarction after pituitary apoplexy: Description of a case and review of the literature]. / Infarto cerebral tras apoplejía pituitaria: descripción de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

Pituitary apoplexy is usually the result of hemorrhagic infarction in a pituitary adenoma. The clinical presentation varies widely and includes asymptomatic cases, classical pituitary apoplexy and even sudden death. Cerebral ischemia due to pituitary apoplexy is very rare. It may be caused by vasospasm or direct compression of cerebral vessels by the tumor. We report a case of pituitary apoplexy associated with cerebral infarction and discuss the relationship between the two events.

[Bilateral chronic subdural haematoma: Analysis of a series of 190 patients]. / Hematoma subdural crónico bilateral: análisis de una serie de 190 pacientes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyse the clinical findings and surgical results in a series of patients with bilateral chronic subdural haematoma (BCSDH), and compare the results with a series of patients treated for unilateral chronic subdural haematoma (UCSDH). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on 1523 patients diagnosed and surgically treated for chronic subdural haematoma over a period of 30 years. Patients were divided into 2 groups: The study group consisting of 190 patients operated on for a BCSDH and the control group consisting of patients operated on for an UCSDH (1333 cases). RESULTS: The patient series included 126 males (66.3%) and 64 females (33.7%), with a mean age at diagnosis of 74.8±10.2. The control group consisted of 870 males (65.2%) and 463 women (34.8%), with a mean age of 73.2±12.1. The most common presenting symptoms was cognitive impairment in 63 patients (33.2%) with BCSDH and 416 (29.5%) with UCSDH. Recurrence rates were 9.4% (18 patients) and 5.7% (77 patients) in unilateral and bilateral haematomas, respectively. The mortality was 10 patients (5.2%) with BCSDH and 55(4%) with UCSDH. Factors significantly related to recurrence in the univariate analysis were being male (P=.040), anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy (P=.032), and poor neurological status at admission (P=.039). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that BCSDH is more frequent in males, and the most common presentation is headache. The most important factors influencing recurrences are being male, intake of anticoagulant-antiaggregant drugs, and worse clinical status at admission.

[Imaging diagnosis of arachnoid cysts]. / Diagnóstico por imagen de los quistes aracnoideos.

Arachnoid cysts are malformed lesions that contain a fluid similar to the cerebrospinal fluid, and are usually located within the arachnoidal membrane. They represent 1% of all intracranial lesions, and in recent years, with the development of radiological techniques, the clinical detectability of arachnoid cysts seems to have increased. Although the majority of diagnosed arachnoid cysts are located in the cranial cavity and especially in the Sylvian fissure, a small number are located at spinal level and they can occur extra- or intra-spinally. An analysis is carried out, detailing the various tests used for the diagnosis of both intracranial and spinal arachnoids cysts, analysing the indications of each one depending on the location of the cysts and patient age.

[«De novo¼ development of a suprasellar arachnoid cyst]. / Desarrollo «de novo¼ de un quiste aracnoideo supraselar.

Intracranial arachnoid cysts are fluid-filled cavities that arise within the cranial arachnoid, representing approximately 1%-2% of all intracranial lesions among the paediatric population. We present the case of a 2-year-old boy who presented with instability and episodes of ocular deviation. A computed tomography scan (CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed a suprasellar cyst and obstructive hydrocephalus. At birth a transfontanellar ultrasound was normal. The cyst underwent endoscopic fenestration with complete remission of symptoms. In the review of the literature, we found only 6 previous cases of an intracranial arachnoid cyst whose origin was not clearly congenital or traumatic, and ours is the second case of a suprasellar arachnoid cyst to arise de novo. The clinical features, imaging characteristics and treatment of the previously reported cases are discussed.

[Multiple intracranial arteriovenous malformation]. / Malformación arteriovenosa intracraneal múltiple.

Multiple cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are thought to be exceedingly rare lesions and have usually been reported as single cases. The incidence of multiple cerebral AVMs in major series ranges from 0.3% to 9% and, in the majority of cases, these malformations are associated with other vascular anomalies of the brain or soft tissues. We report a 62-year-old woman that presented with a left temporal haemorrhage. Angiography showed 3 AVMs located in the left temporal lobe, left cerebellar hemisphere and right temporal lobe. The lesions were treated with radiosurgery.

La fenestración endoscópica como tratamiento de los quistes aracnoideos intracraneales / Endoscopic fenestration to treat intracranial arachnoid cysts

Los quistes aracnoideos son lesiones quísticas con un contenido similar al líquido cefalorraquídeo. Representan alrededor del 1% de todas las lesiones expansivas intracraneales y son característicos de las dos primeras décadas de la vida, aunque en ocasiones se diagnostican en adultos. Presentamos una revisión sobre nuestra experiencia en el tratamiento quirúrgico de quistes aracnoideos intracraneales. Material y métodos: Realizamos una revisión de 103 niños menores de 16 años intervenidos quirúrgicamente por un quiste aracnoideo intracraneal en los que se empleó una derivación cistoperitoneal en 53 casos; una craneotomía con fenestración del quiste, en 44 niños, y 11 casos con fenestración por vía endoscópica. Resultados: En todos los pacientes se consiguió alivio de la sintomatología y reducción o desaparición del quiste. Se presentaron 21 complicaciones quirúrgicas: 12 en los pacientes tratados con válvula (22.6%) y 9 en los sometidos a craneotomía (20.4%). La mortalidad de la serie fue de dos casos (1.95%). Discusión y conclusiones: El tratamiento de los quistes aracnoideos intracraneales debe reservarse exclusivamente para los casos sintomáticos. La craneotomía con fenestración de las membranas y la derivación cistoperitoneal son buenas opciones de tratamiento, ya que consiguen un buen control, tanto del tamaño del quiste como en la resolución de la sintomatología. La mejor opción terapéutica es en la actualidad la fenestración endoscópica, ya que se trata de una técnica poco invasiva, que no requiere la implantación de materiales extraños y cuyo índice de complicaciones y recidivas es relativamente bajo...

[Multifocal clear cell meningioma in the sacral and lumbar spine. Case report and literature review]. / Meningioma de células claras lumbosacro multifocal. Presentación de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

Clear cell meningioma is a rare morphological form of meningioma. This case report describes a very rare case of multifocal clear cell meningioma in the sacral and lumbar spine. The patient was a 20-year-old female who presented back pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a large tumour at L4 to S2 level associated with two, smaller, satellite tumours at the lumbar level. An intra-extradural tumour was surgically removed and the pathological diagnosis of clear cell meningioma was confirmed. Both satellite lesions were also resected and their histopathological diagnosis was the same. Therefore, clear cell meningioma should be considered in young patients with suggested meningioma in the lumbar spine, as well as the possibility of multifocal origin and postoperative recurrence.

Lumbar synovial cyst in a adolescence: case report.

BACKGROUND: Spinal extradural cysts are a rare cause of spinal cord or nerve root compression which tends to occur in the elderly but rarely reported in the under 20s. HISTORY: A 14-year-old girl with a 9-month history of left radicular pain was found to have an intraspinal cystic lesion causing radicular compression. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a 1.1-cm extradural cystic lesion with a low signal on T1-weighted images and high signal on T2-weighted images lying in the spinal canal at the L4 vertebral body level. The patient underwent an L4 hemilaminectomy and excision of a synovial cyst, and the radicular pain completely regressed. DISCUSSION: We discuss the pathogenesis, radiological techniques and management of synovial cyst in a paediatric patient CONCLUSION: Intraspinal ganglion cysts are extremely rare in children and only two other cases have been reported previously. They are benign lesions, frequently presenting radiculopathy, and should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients with low back pain and radiculopathy.