Spontaneous remission of skull Langerhans cell histiocytosis that had developed by repeated head injury: illustrative case.

BACKGROUND: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) was previously characterized as the proliferation of Langerhans-type histiocytes with a wide range of clinical presentations that arise mostly in children. The typical presentation is a gradually enlarging, painless skull mass. Rapid clinical deterioration is rare. OBSERVATIONS: A 3-year-old boy who had incurred a right frontal impact head injury demonstrated no apparent neurological deficits. He subsequently bruised the same region multiple times. The right frontal swelling gradually increased over the course of 6 days after the initial injury. Skull radiography showed no bony lesion. The same site enlarged markedly 12 days after the initial injury. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a frontal bony tumorous lesion associated with multiple subcutaneous cystic mass lesions. The patient underwent open biopsy of the skull lesion and evacuation of the subcutaneous lesions. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of LCH. Immunohistochemical evaluation revealed positivity for CD1a and langerin and no immunopositivity for BRAF V600E. The skull lesion spontaneously disappeared 30 days after the biopsy without recurrence. LESSONS: Physicians should be aware of this rare clinical manifestation of LCH that developed by a repeat head injury.

Verification of a Three-day Hospitalization Protocol for Chronic Subdural Hematoma Surgery.

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSH) is predominantly a disease of the elderly. Aging societies in advanced countries are seeing the number of CSH cases increasing. We applied a three-day hospitalization protocol for CSH surgery to reduce healthcare costs and more efficiently manage hospital beds. We investigated the clinical factors that influenced prolonged hospitalization. From January 2015 to December 2020, we performed irrigation, evacuation, and drainage of CSH cases in 221 consecutive patients. The χ2 test and logistic regression analysis were conducted to detect clinical factors influencing prolonged hospitalization. A p-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Applying a three-day hospitalization protocol showed no adverse outcomes. Fifty-two (24%) of 221 patients experienced prolonged hospitalization. The χ2 test showed that female gender, atrial fibrillation, alcohol abuse, preoperative consciousness level, verbal function disturbance, and perioperative activities of daily living were significantly related to prolonged hospitalization. Female gender, atrial fibrillation, and alcohol abuse were significant factors in the logistic regression analysis. A three-day hospitalization protocol for CSH is suitable for patient care; however, particular attention needs to be focused on the female gender, atrial fibrillation, and alcohol abuse, all three of which prolong hospitalization.

Epidural intracranial abscesses and multiple bone metastases caused by disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex infection: illustrative case.

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) generally causes localized pulmonary infections in immunocompromised hosts, but rarely in other organs and tissues, which is called disseminated MAC infection. OBSERVATIONS: The authors herein present a 48-year-old male patient with disseminated MAC infectious lesions in the lungs and on the cranial, vertebral, femoral, and pelvic bones, a normal CD4 count, and immunopositivity for the interferon-ɤ (IFN-ɤ) neutralization antibody. Cranial lesions were multiple osteolytic lesions associated with abscesses in the cranial bones. The patient initially received conservative treatment with multiple antibiotics; however, cranial lesions worsened. Therefore, multiple cranial lesions were removed via osteoplastic craniectomy and the postoperative course was uneventful. Pathological findings revealed MAC infection. The patient was discharged without recurrence or complications. LESSONS: Multiple cranial MAC dissemination with immunopositivity for the IFN-ɤ antibody is rare. The authors herein present the clinical course of a rare surgical case of MAC dissemination with a literature review.

Lemierre's Syndrome as a Sexually Transmitted Disease Due to Porphyromonas asaccharolytica Suspected to Be Caused by Pharyngitis Due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Epstein-Barr Virus.

Porphyromonas asaccharolytica rarely causes Lemierre's syndrome (LS), which is characterised by sepsis and thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein. An 18-year-old man presented with fever and a sore throat after sexual contact containing oral sex, and his blood sample was positive for atypical lymphocytes. Infectious mononucleosis was suspected initially. However, laboratory data showed elevated D-dimer and procalcitonin levels, and a computed tomography scan showed a thrombus in the internal jugular vein leading to the diagnosis of LS. The Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) IgM titre was 1:640 (normal, ≦1:40), and the Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen titre (taken 59 days after admission) was 1:10 (normal, <1:10). It was assumed that LS developed after infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and MP. LS should be suspected in young patients with fever and sore throat with a history of recent sexual contact. As pharyngitis was considered the cause of LS, evaluation of the preceding infection such as MP or EBV leading to pharyngitis should also be considered.

Multiple Spontaneous Arteriovenous Fistulas of the Superficial Temporal Artery.

Objective: Multiple spontaneous arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) of the external carotid artery (ECA) are rare. We present a case of multiple spontaneous AVFs treated by coil embolization using a combination of the transarterial and transvenous approach. Case Presentation: A 59-year-old woman complained of right pulsatile tinnitus and a mass lesion at the ventral region of the right ear. 3D CTA and cerebral angiography revealed two AVFs on the superficial temporal artery (STA) with an aneurysm 9.8 mm in diameter. A balloon guiding catheter was navigated to the right STA via the right femoral artery. Another balloon guiding catheter was navigated to the right external jugular vein. The STA distal to the aneurysm was embolized with platinum coils by a transvenous approach. The STA proximal to the aneurysm was embolized transarterially and draining veins were embolized transvenously. Her symptoms were cured after endovascular embolization. MRA at 1 day and 6 months postoperatively showed no recurrence of AVFs or aneurysm. Conclusion: Coil embolization of multiple spontaneous AVFs of the ECA using a combined transarterial and transvenous approach is a curable treatment option. Transvenous embolization of an STA distal to an aneurysm is useful.