Intracranial hypotension syndrome: neuroimaging in five spontaneous cases and etiopathogenetic correlations.

Intracranial hypotension (IH) is essential or, more frequently, secondary. This syndrome is characterized by severe postural headache and low opening cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure; although other symptoms may exist. In this study five patients are investigated. Neuroimaging showed: on computerized tomography scan (CT), poor visualization of the cerebral sulci with small ventricles; on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), subdural fluid collections with enhancement on the convexity, along the tentorium and in the upper cervix after administration of contrast medium and downward displacement of the brain. Radionuclide cisternography was normal in the two patients who underwent this treatment as well as the meningeal biopsy in another patient. In all patients the opening CSF pressure was low or unmeasurable. The clinical syndrome spontaneously recovered contextually to normalization of neuroradiological findings. The possible pathogenesis (dural border cell layer tear) was discussed and the importance of diagnostic confirmation with MRI and measurement of CSF pressure when IH is thought to be present was underlined.

Endoscopic diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma of the esophagus, a rare neoplasm.

We report a case of leiomyosarcoma of the distal third of the esophagus in a 51-year-old woman presenting with a six-month history of severe epigastric pain, disphagia and weight loss. The diagnosis, suspected on endoscopic examination, was preoperatively acheived by biopsy and immunohistological stain. Surgical treatment was undertaken with good results. Differentiation between leiomyosarcoma and more common esophageal neoplasm may be difficult if based on radiographic and endoscopic appearance. Preoperative histological confirmation is therefore mandatory to schedule a wide surgical excision.