Giant frontal sinus mucocele mimicked a primary brain tumor: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Frontal sinus mucoceles commonly manifest with orbital complications. Intracranial complications, though rare, are significant in the differential diagnosis. Tumefactive and giant mucoceles can resemble intracranial tumors. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 24-year-old male patient who initially presented to our institution after experiencing a single generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Initial imaging revealed large masses in both frontal lobes. Surgical intervention revealed mucoceles originating from the frontal and paranasal sinuses. DISCUSSION: Mucoceles are often misdiagnosed due to the wide variety of symptoms they can present. In particular, the tumefactive type of mucoceles can present brain tumors both clinically and radiologically. CONCLUSION: Mucoceles can manifest as tumefactive lesions, mimicking intracranial masses, and may present as perplexing neurological conditions.

Successful microvascular decompression surgery for dolichoectatic vertebral artery compression of medulla oblongata in a patient with hypersomnia disorder.

INTRODUCTION: Hypersomnia is a condition in which a person has trouble staying awake during the day. There are several potential causes of it, including sleep apnea and sleep disorders. CASE PRESENTATION: A 43 year old male was referred to our practice with complaints of hypersomnia, snoring, slurred speech and sleep apnea for more diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. His brain MRI was significant for a vascular loop compression on medulla oblongata. The patient underwent microvascular decompression surgery subsequently and showed improvement in all of his symptoms. CONCLUSION: One of the rare causes of sleep apnea is medulla oblongata compression by a vascular loop. Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia may cause this phenomenon probably and should be reviewed in imaging examinations more precisely. Microvascular decompression by using a synthetic Teflon patch may be helpful in management of these patients.

Endoscopic cystoventriculostomy of an arachnoid cyst using a neuroendovascular stent to maintain patency.

INTRODUCTION: Cystoventriculostomy is a surgical treatment for arachnoid cysts. We present a case using a neuroendovascular stent to maintain ostomy patency. CASE REPORT: A 6½-year-old male with symptomatic arachnoid cyst underwent endoscopic fenestration and Wingspan stent insertion. CONCLUSION: Neuroendovascular stent placement may be an adjunct to maintain patency in cystoventriculostomy.

Lateralization of inferior petrosal sinus sampling in Cushing's disease correlates with cavernous sinus venous drainage patterns, but not tumor lateralization.

BACKGROUND: Inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) is known as the gold standard to distinguish whether excessive adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) production origins from the pituitary gland or an ectopic source. However, due to a number of factors, the value of IPSS for adenoma lateralization may be limited. Aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of parasellar venous drainage (VD) patterns on IPSS findings in predicting lateralization of pituitary microadenomas. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed records of confirmed cases of Cushing's disease which were evaluated by IPSS prior to endoscopic tansnasal trans-sphenoidal surgery (ETSS) to assess the ability of IPSS to predict adenoma laterality. RESULTS: Seventeen patients with pathologically confirmed Cushing's disease were retrospectively reviewed. The median age of the included patients was 37 years. Laterality of parasellar VD perfectly associated with lateralization as measured by IPSS. Symmetrical VD was associated with symmetrical ACTH gradient on IPSS. However, lateralization measured by IPSS did not show any significant correlation with lateralization detected during ETSS. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that IPSS lateralization results strongly depend on parasellar VD pattern but show no significant correlation with the adenoma lateralization found during ETSS. Thus, IPSS does not appear to be an appropriate modality to predict adenoma lateralization.

Cervical Lipomyelomeningocele Presenting with Progressive Motor Deficit: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Cervical lipomyelomeningocele is a very rare form of spina bifida occulta, which can cause some complications following tethered cord syndrome. We report a 10-year-old female with a history of progressive upper-extremity weakness, a very small soft-tissue mass at the posterior aspect of her neck, and evidence of lipomyelomeningocele in her radiological study. The patient underwent laminectomy of C6 and C7 together with resection of lipomatous tissue attaching to the cord from superficial tissue and cord untethering, which resulted in progressive improvement of her weakness.

Craniometrical imaging and clinical findings of adult Chiari malformation type 1 before and after posterior fossa decompression surgery with duraplasty.

Background: Posterior fossa decompression both with and without duraplasty are accepted treatments for symptomatic adult patients with Chiari Malformations Type 1 (CM-1). There is still debate of the superiority of one technique over the other. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical and craniometrical imaging outcomes of a series of patients who underwent posterior fossa decompression with duraplasty. Materials and methods: All adult patients with symptomatic CM-1 operated at a single institution with a minimum of 6 months follow-up were enrolled prospectively. Clinical outcomes and craniometrical parameters based upon MR imaging pre- and post-surgery were analyzed. Results: A series of 33 consecutive patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled; mean age of 33.93 ± 10 years (range 14-56 years). The most common preoperative complaint was headache. The most common clinical sign was sensory dysfunction which was relieved or improved in 63% of patients. The mean syringomyelia size had a significant reduction after the surgery (p = .01). The mean tonsillar descent also had significant reduction (p = .00). The mean McRae line length before the surgery and after that were 33.4 and 53.1 mm respectively that this change was not statistically significant (p = .42). The odontoid process parameters had no significant changes after surgery. Conclusions: Posterior fossa decompression surgery with duraplasty can improve both clinical and imaging outcomes such as syringomyelia size and tonsillar descent for patients with symptomatic CM-1. However, no significant difference was found in craniometrical parameters before and after the surgery.

Adult acute calcific discitis confined to the nucleus pulposus in the cervical spine: case report.

Acute calcific discitis is a rare condition in the pediatric population and has been reported in only 2 instances in the adult population. This report describes a case of acute calcific discitis that uniquely presented in the adult cervical spine. A 22-year-old woman presented with the chief complaint of sudden-onset neck pain. Nonsurgical management, including nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, provided moderate symptom relief. Radiography revealed nucleus pulposus calcification at the C2-3 level. Contrast-enhanced MRI did not reveal any additional abnormalities. Further nonsurgical management, including physical therapy and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, led to complete symptom relief within 6 months. Follow-up imaging demonstrated that the calcification had nearly resolved. Acute calcific discitis should be managed conservatively; the prognosis for a complete recovery is excellent. The pathophysiology of the disorder is yet to be elucidated, and the disorder is not exclusive to the pediatric population.

Comparison of long terms follow up results in patients with cervical disk disease treated with anterior PEEK cage implantation and without it in Rasoul Akram Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Anterior interbody fusion of the cervical spine have become the gold standard for treating spinal diseases, hence the aim of this study was to compare long term follow up results in patients with cervical disk disease treated with anterior PEEK cage implantation and without it in anterior approach. METHODS: Retrospectively 63 patients with known cervical discogenic disorders who went under surgery with and without cage implantation were enrolled. The neurological examination and neurologic function were assessed by using the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scoring system and neurological cervical spine scale (NCSS) before and 8 years after surgery in each patient and at the end all complications were recorded. RESULTS: In the first group, there were 15 males and 14 females (mean age: 49±10 years) and in the second group there were 27 male and 7 female (mean age: 47±9 years). The NCSS score was significantly different between two groups after surgery (p = 0.035) but there was no significant difference before surgery (p = 0.163). No statistical significance difference was also observed in JOA score and complications before and after procedure, but JOA post surgery score between two groups had significant difference (p = 0.047). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, present study showed that PEEK cage implantation is a highly useful alternative to the conventional treatment methods.

IGF-I concentration and changes in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) is an anabolic growth factor that affects nitrogen balance and its changing trend is not clearly understood in critically ill patients. This study was carried out to evaluate the association between serum IGF-I levels and its changing trend in critically ill patients. METHODS: In this nested case-control study, all consecutive patients admitted to the medical ICU of Rasoul-e-Akram and Firuzgar hospital (Tehran, Iran) from January through October 2008 were included. IGF1 concentration was measured within the first 24h of ICU admission and the fourth, seventh and tenth day since admission. Patients were followed until discharge from ICU or expiration. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 90 patients (mean age: 58.01 ± 22.56), 31 (34.4%) of who died and 59 (65.6%) were discharged. On admission, 43 patients (47.7%) had low IGF-I levels, whereas 47 (52.3%) had normal or high levels. The concentration of IGF-I was not significantly different in every 4 measurements between expired and discharged patients. Significant decrease was seen between first to fourth day IGF-I concentration (p = 0.005). Changing trend was not statistically different in two groups of patients. CONCLUSIONS: There was no relation between low IGF-I concentration on admission day and increased adverse outcome, but overall these patients had lower IGF1. No clear association was found between changing trend of IGF1 and mortality. Stress on admission time may cause decreasing pattern of IGF-I in the first 4 days of admission.

Diffuse myelitis after treatment of cerebral aspergillosis in an immune competent patient.

Presentation of an unusual case of cerebral aspergillosis in an immune competent patient who was treated successfully but symptoms and signs of a demyelinating process following initial recovery has been occurred. A 29-year-old male with focal seizure. Brain MRI revealed small multiple hemispheric and dural lesions. An open biopsy was conducted. Histological evaluation revealed hyphe-like structure in the necrotic area, within vessel walls, and lumina, suggestive aspergillus fumigatus . Furthermore, brancheal hyphae in potassium hydrxide 15% and colonies on sabourud dextrose agar were observed. Based of the above findings the patient underwent anti fungal therapy. The patient recovered and continued a normal life however a follow up MRI was performed after 3 months from recovery. No significant abnormality was observed from the MRI procedure. One month later the patient developed signs and symptoms of spinal cord involvement which seemed to be the result of myelitis. A brain MR showed no abnormalities .Therefore it seemed reasonable to administer corticosteroid as a treatment for suspected active demyelinating process. During the above treatment, signs and symptoms of myelopathy disappeared and a whole spine MRI showed remarkable improvement.

Evaluating the association between insulin-like growth factor-1 values and short-term survival rates following acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUNDS: In recent years, low levels of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) have been suggested to be associated with higher risks of developing heart failure and higher long-term mortality rates following Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI). However, the effect of IGF-1 levels on short-term survival has been rarely studied. In this study we aimed to assess any possible association between serum IGF-1 concentration following AMI and short-term survival rates. METHODS: In this study, serum total IGF-1 levels were measured in 56 patients within 24 hours following AMI and were compared to 56 individuals with no cardiovascular disease. Patients were followed up to death or discharge from hospital (median = 6 days) and survival curves were compared based on median IGF-1 value. RESULTS: Mean (±SD) of serum IGF-1 levels were 232.73 ng/ml (±81.74) and 211.00 ng/ml (±58.22) in survived and expired patients respectively and the difference was not statistically significant (P value = 0.501). The difference between survival curves was also not statistically significant (P value = 0.246). CONCLUSION: According to findings of this study, serum total IGF-1 concentration does not seem to be associated with short-term survival rates.

Is Tokuhashi score suitable for evaluation of life expectancy before surgery in Iranian patients with spinal metastases?

BACKGROUND: One of the most important selection criteria for spinal metastases surgery is life expectancy and the most important system for this prediction has been proposed by Tokuhashi. The aim of this study was to evaluate predictive value of the Tokuhashi score for life expectancy in Iranian patients with spinal metastases one year after diagnosis. METHODS: From February 2007 to March 2009, of 180 patients suffering spinal metastatic tumors, 71 patients were excluded. This left a study population of 109 patients with known malignant metastases to spine (56 females and 53 males; mean age, 57 ± 12 years). Tokuhashi revised evaluation system for the prognosis of metastatic spinal tumors was used for all patients. The survival period predicted by this system for the prognosis and the actual survival period after 1 year follow up were evaluated. RESULTS: The predicted survival according to Tokuhashi prognostic scoring system was less than 6 months in 38(34.9%) patients, 6-12 months in 39(35.8%) patients and 1 year or more in 32(29.4%) patients. 39 (35.8%) patients died at first six-month of the follow up, 28(25.7%) patients at the second six-month period and 42(38.5%) patients were alive at the end of the year. There was no significant difference between predicted and actual survival time (p = 0.116). CONCLUSIONS: Present study showed that the Tokuhashi revised scoring system may be practicable and highly predictive preoperative scoring system for patients with spinal metastases in Iran.

Serum levels of cardiac troponin I in patients with uncomplicated epileptic seizure.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a myofibrillar protein regulating the interaction of actin and myosin. It is 100% tissue specific for the heart and is an excellent serum marker for detecting myocardial injury. Based on previous studies, contradictory results have been reported about elevation of serum levels of cTnI in patients presenting with subacute or acute neurological disorders with or without seizures. Here we assess serum levels of cTnI in patients following uncomplicated epileptic seizures and with a healthy cardiovascular system. METHODS: In this analytical cross-sectional study, 49 patients (age range: 12-65 years) with uncomplicated epileptic seizure and no history of cardiac problems were included. cTnI level was evaluated in patients between 6 h and 10 days after a seizure. Electrocardiography and echocardiography were also performed. Variables including number of seizures, age at first seizure, and time elapsed from the last seizure, in addition to demographic variables, were also evaluated. RESULTS: Average age of patients was 21.18 years (standard deviation [SD] +/-8.37) with a male/female ratio of 2.26. Mean elapsed time from the last seizure was 54 h (SD +/-52.97). cTnI level was within the normal range (<0.1 ng/mL) in all patients with a mean level of 0.026 ng/mL (SD +/-0.015). A significant statistical correlation was found between serum level of cTnI and number of epileptic seizures (Spearman r = 0.743, p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum level of cTnI following seizure was within normal limits in 12 to 65-year-old patients with uncomplicated epileptic seizures and healthy cardiovascular system. However, this level was higher in patients with more than three repeated seizures. Repeated measurement of level of cTnI up to several days after presence of a seizure may be helpful in further assessment of this relationship.