Interdural extra-arachnoidal resection of fifth nerve schwannomas with tailored petrous drilling: Eliminating the blind spot.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Around 20-40% of trigeminal schwannomas (TS) are dumbbell shaped, spanning the middle and posterior cranial fossa The petrous apex is often truncated in these patients, aiding surgical resection of both compartments through the middle fossa approach. However, a less eroded petrous creates a blind spot, making total resection difficult. This study describes the feasibility of an approach combining expanded Meckel cave access with tailored petrous bone drilling to optimize tumor visualization and resection. METHODS: Eleven patients with dumbbell TS and minimal petrous apex erosion underwent the described surgery. Surgical steps included temporo-orbito-zygomatic craniotomy, middle fossa floor drilling, navigation aided (tailored) extradural petrous bone drilling and extra-arachnoidal tumor excision. Extent of resection and postoperative outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Patients presented with trigeminal nerve dysfunction (n = 9; sensory -9 and motor - 5), headache(8/11), ataxia (7/11) and pseudobulbar palsy (3/11). Complete tumor resection was achieved in all patients. Postoperatively, 8 out of 9 patients had transient increase in facial hypoesthesia with conjunctival injection in 3. It improved within 3-6 months, except in four cases wherein mild hypoesthesia persisted. Motor symptoms improved in 2 of 5 patients. Two developed transient 6th nerve paresis, that resolved in 2 months. Cerebellar and brainstem pressure symptoms resolved in all. No patients developed new onset permanent neurological deficit. Two patients reported mild post-craniotomy masticatory difficulty. CONCLUSIONS: The additional tailored petrous bony drilling enhances the surgeon's view, allowing a higher chance of total resection with no major operative morbidity.

Extra-axial, dural-based atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor.

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (ATRTs) are malignant central nervous system tumors that affect early childhood (< 3 years), and mostly located in the infratentorial space. Owing to an infrequent occurrence, their radiological features have not been completely defined. Nevertheless, these are characteristically intra-axial except for few instances in the cerebellopontine angle region. We describe a case of a 10-year-old boy who harbored an extra-axial, dural-based ATRT in the right parietal region. The lesion was totally excised followed by adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy. At 10-month follow-up, he was well with no recurrence. The report intends to highlight an atypical imaging presentation of ATRT in an older child, and adds to the radiological spectrum. This uncommon pathology should be borne in mind, even in a supratentorial dural-based location.

Multiple Fusarium brain abscesses in a young child.

Isolated intracranial fungal infection is infrequent and mostly seen in high-risk, immunocompromised patients. Fusarium, a primary plant fungus, rarely contributes to such disease. Amongst the very few cases of Fusarium brain abscess that have been reported, the infection has occurred mostly in adults. We present a case of a 6-year-old boy with tuberculous meningitis diagnosed with multiple Fusarium brain abscess caused by Fusarium falciforme during his clinical course. An immunocompromised state secondary to tuberculous meningitis presumably led to this infection. After tapping the abscesses, the child was treated with a combination of amphotericin B, voriconazole and terbinafine. Despite an aggressive therapy, he remained in poor neurological state. This is the second report of an isolated Fusarium abscess in pediatric age and the first one in a young child and provides pertinent review of this unusual central nervous system fungal infection. Such unusual infectious spectrum should be borne in mind in patients with co-existent immunosuppression.

Cerebrospinal fluid cytology in a toddler with a posterior fossa space-occupying lesion.

An atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumour (AT/RT) is an extremely rare malignant neoplasm. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) involvement at presentation indicates intracranial dissemination and is associated with an aggressive course and worse outcomes. We present the characteristic cytomorphological features of AT/RT in the cerebrospinal fluid from a toddler presenting with a posterior fossa space-occupying lesion.

Co-existent epidermoid and dermoid in a child with spinal dysraphism.

Both spinal epidermoids and dermoids, given their common embryological origin, are referred as a single entity under the category of spinal inclusion tumors. Many theories, although speculative, have been proposed in relevance to their development. We present a unique case of dual pathology consisting of both epidermoid and dermoid components in a child with spinal dysraphism and succinctly touch upon the related embryological aspects and plausible pathogenesis. To the best of our knowledge, such co-existent entity has not been observed in the pediatric spine. The report adds to the gamut of the diverse observations of spinal dysraphic anomalies.

The collateral fallout of COVID19 lockdown on patients with head injury from north-west India.

BACKGROUND: The COVID19 lockdown has altered the dynamics of living. Its collateral fallout on head injury care has not been studied in detail, especially from low- and middle-income countries, possibly overwhelmed more than developed nations. Here, we analyze the effects of COVID19 restrictions on head injury patients in a high-volume Indian referral trauma center. METHODS: From the prospective trauma registry, clinico-epidemiological and radiological parameters of patients managed during 190 days before and 190 days during COVID19 phases were studied. As an indicator of care, the inpatient mortality of patients with severe HI was also compared with appropriate statistical analyses. RESULTS: Of the total 3372 patients, there were 83 head injury admissions per week before COVID19 restrictions, which decreased to 33 every week (60% drop) during the lock phases and stabilized at 46 per week during the unlock phases. COVID19 restrictions caused a significant increase in the proportion of patients arriving directly without resuscitation at peripheral centers and later than 6 h of injury. Though the most common mechanism was vehicular, a relative increase in the proportion of assaults was noted during COVID19. There was no change in the distribution of mild, moderate, and severe injuries. Despite a decrease in the percentage of patients with systemic illnesses, severe head injury mortality was significantly more during the lock phases than before COVID19 (59% vs. 47%, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: COVID19 restrictions have amplified the already delayed admission among patients of head injury from north-west India. The severe head injury mortality was significantly greater during lock phases than before COVID19, highlighting the collateral fallout of lockdown. Pandemic control measures in the future should not ignore the concerns of trauma emergency care.

Head injury care in a low- and middle-income country tertiary trauma center: epidemiology, systemic lacunae, and possible leads.

BACKGROUND: Although head injury (HI) from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) heavily contributes to the global disease burden, studies are disproportionately less from this part of the world. Knowing the different epidemiological characteristics from high-income nations can target appropriate prevention strategies. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the clinico-epidemiological data of HI patients, focusing on the existing challenges with possible solutions from a developing nation's perspective. METHODS: This is a prospective, registry-based, observational study of HI in an Indian tertiary trauma-care center over 4 years. Various clinico-epidemiological parameters, risk factors, and imaging spectrum were analyzed in a multivariate model to identify the challenges faced by LMIC and discuss pragmatic solutions. RESULTS: The study included a large-volume cohort of 14,888 patients. Notably, half of these patients belonged to mild HI, despite most were referred (90.3%) cases. Only one-third (30.8%) had severe HI. Less than a third reached us within 6 h of injury. Road traffic accidents (RTA) accounted for most injuries (61.1%), especially in the young (70.9%). Higher age, males, RTA, helmet non-usage, drunken driving, systemic injuries, and specific imaging features had an independent association with injury severity. CONCLUSIONS: The study represents the much-needed, large-volume, epidemiological profile of HI from an LMIC, highlighting the suboptimal utilization of peripheral healthcare systems. Strengthening and integrating these facilities with the tertiary centers in a hub and enhanced spoke model, task sharing design, and efficient back-referrals promise effective neurotrauma care while avoiding overburden in the tertiary centers. Better implementation of road safety laws also has the potential to reduce the burden of HI.

Pineal Region Meningioma in a Very Young Child.

INTRODUCTION: Meningiomas in childhood are infrequently seen. Furthermore, they are extremely rare at a pineal location with few reported cases above 5-years of age. We present a very young child with a large pineal region meningioma which mimicked the usually occurring pathologies at this site. CASE PRESENTATION: A 2.5-year-old child presented with symptoms of raised intracranial pressure. MRI demonstrated a homogenously enhancing pineal lesion with small cystic areas. After an initial cerebrospinal fluid evaluation for germ cell tumors, the child underwent excision of the lesion by the Krause approach. The tumor showed no definitive dural attachment, had well-defined arachnoid interface, and was completely excised. The final histopathology was meningioma. CONCLUSION: Although unusual, we highlight the importance of considering meningiomas among the childhood pineal region lesions, given their good outcome with total resection. Also, pertinent brief literature of the pediatric pineal region meningiomas has been provided. An assessment of preoperative and intraoperative features (clear arachnoid plane) along with adjuncts such as frozen studies can help discern various entities of this region, and decide the extent of excision.

Customising the surgical management for intraventricular meningiomas - 'one size doesn't fit all'.

BACKGROUND: Intraventricular meningiomas are uncommon and gross total resection is the recommended treatment. However, total resection may not always be possible, especially in locations in which the lesions are adherent to veins and neural structures. We share our experience with intraventricular meningiomas, focusing on the management strategies and outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We describe the data of 7 patients with intraventricular meningiomas operated at our institute over the last 9 years. Three patients had a third ventricular tumor of which two had lesions straddling across the foramen of Monro. The remaining 4 patients had trigonal mass. The clinico-radiological features, management strategies and outcomes have been elaborated with a mean follow-up of 57 months. RESULTS: The common clinical presentations were raised intracranial pressure symptoms, visual field defects and memory deficits. One patient had multiple meningiomas. Total excision was achieved in all except in 2 patients in whom the lesion straddled across the foramen of Monro with dense adhesions to veins and neural structures. Staged resection was required in one patient with a large trigonal mass. All patients had a low-grade lesion. The tumor recurred in one patient (post-pregnancy) after partial resection. All the patients improved neurologically, and none had added deficits. CONCLUSIONS: Gross total resection of intraventricular meningiomas although desirable may not be possible in certain cases in which the risks outweigh the benefits. These tumors often are of low histological grade and the treatment strategies should be individualized. Regular follow-up is warranted as these tumors may recur despite a low histological grade.

COVID-19: changing patterns among neurosurgical patients from North India, efficacy of repeat testing, and inpatient prevalence.

OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 has affected surgical practice globally. Treating neurosurgical patients with the restrictions imposed by the pandemic is challenging in institutions with shared patient areas. The present study was performed to assess the changing patterns of neurosurgical cases, the efficacy of repeated testing before surgery, and the prevalence of COVID-19 in asymptomatic neurosurgical inpatients. METHODS: Cases of non-trauma-related neurosurgical patients treated at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were reviewed. During the pandemic, all patients underwent a nasopharyngeal swab reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test to detect COVID-19 at admission. Patients who needed immediate intervention were surgically treated following a single COVID-19 test, while stable patients who initially tested negative for COVID-19 were subjected to repeated testing at least 5 days after the first test and within 48 hours prior to the planned surgery. The COVID-19 positivity rate was compared with the local period prevalence. The number of patients who tested positive at the second test, following a negative first test, was used to determine the probable number of people who could have become infected during the surgical procedure without second testing. RESULTS: Of the total 1769 non-trauma-related neurosurgical patients included in this study, a mean of 337.2 patients underwent surgery per month before COVID-19, while a mean of 184.2 patients (54.6% of pre-COVID-19 capacity) underwent surgery per month during the pandemic period, when COVID-19 cases were on the rise in India. There was a significant increase in the proportion of patients undergoing surgery for a ruptured aneurysm, stroke, hydrocephalus, and cerebellar tumors, while the number of patients seeking surgery for chronic benign diseases declined. At the first COVID-19 test, 4 patients (0.48%) tested were found to have the disease, a proportion 3.7 times greater than that found in the local community. An additional 5 patients tested positive at the time of the second COVID-19 test, resulting in an overall inpatient period prevalence of 1%, in contrast to a 0.2% national cumulative caseload. It is possible that COVID-19 was prevented in approximately 67.4 people every month by using double testing. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 has changed the pattern of neurosurgical procedures, with acute cases dominating the practice. Despite the fact that the pandemic has not yet reached its peak in India, COVID-19 has been detected 3.7 times more often in asymptomatic neurosurgical inpatients than in the local community, even with single testing. Double testing displays an incremental value by disclosing COVID-19 overall in 1 in 100 inpatients and thus averting its spread through neurosurgical services.

Pineal Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor in a 5-Month-Old Child.

INTRODUCTION: Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRT), an uncommon malignant intracranial tumor with aggressive behavior are mostly seen in posterior fossa in young pediatric age-group. CASE PRESENTATION: We present an infrequent location of this tumor in the pineal region in a 5-month-old infant. Also, the lesion was non-enhancing which was highly atypical of an ATRT. It was near-totally excised with the child placed in sitting position. However, within a short interval, a tumor recurrence was noted. CONCLUSION: The case possibly represents an extended spectrum of congenital childhood brain tumors. Importantly, it highlights an atypical imaging of ATRT in very young children.

Spinal Cavernoma in an Infant: A Rare Pathological Entity with an Atypical Presentation.

INTRODUCTION: Cavernous malformation (CM) of the pediatric spine is uncommon, and its presentation especially in infancy is extremely rare. We report an unusual case of thoracolumbar intramedullary CM with hemorrhage in a 5-month-old male child. CASE PRESENTATION: The child presented with the predominant symptom of urinary retention, and the underlying neurological cause was initially overlooked. However, magnetic resonance imaging obtained after the onset of progressive limb weakness revealed a D11-L1 intramedullary lesion with features of intralesional bleed. Intraoperatively, the lesion showed evidence of hemorrhage and was completely excised. The final histopathology confirmed a cavernoma. CONCLUSION: Although rare, spinal CM can present with bleed in very young children. It is imperative to identify the subtle clinico-radiological findings and suspect such lesions, as an early treatment portends a good outcome.

A novel fixation technique using anterior C1 screw in a pediatric solitary cervical spinal juvenile xanthogranuloma.

PURPOSE: Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) presenting as solitary vertebral body lesion is infrequently seen and usually limited to one or two levels. We report a case of an isolated JXG with extensive cervical spinal (bony and extradural) involvement in a 6-year-old child. There was a diagnostic dilemma as the radiologic and intraoperative picture resembled tuberculosis. The spinal reconstruction was also challenging due to involvement of multiple vertebral levels and necessitated an anterior C1 screw. METHODS: The lytic lesion was multicompartmental, involving the craniovertebral junction and the subaxial spine (till C6 vertebral body) and extending into the retropharyngeal space. Noticeably, an associated thoracic syringomyelia was also present. Near-total excision of the lesion and 360° spinal fixation was performed using fibular strut graft. The graft was cranially anchored to the C1 anterior arch, thereby sharing the load with the posterior occipito-cervical instrumentation in order to avoid a construct failure due to cantilever effect. RESULTS: At 12-month follow-up, the patient had good clinico-radiologic outcome with evidence of bony fusion and resolution of syrinx. CONCLUSION: The report highlights the diagnostic dilemma of JXG lesion on both the radiology and surgery and discusses the challenges in the management and the relevant literature. The described technique can be a viable option in pediatric tumors with extensive C2 vertebral body involvement. Occasionally, extradural compression can have associated syrinx formation and the primary treatment per se could tackle the underlying syringomyelia.

Modified unilateral approach for mid-third giant bifalcine meningiomas: resection using an oblique surgical trajectory and falx window.

BACKGROUND: Utilizing the shortest available trajectory is the norm for excision of meningiomas. However, such an approach for the mid-third/central falcine meningiomas risks the adjoining draining veins and eloquent cortex. A larger size and bilaterality of such tumors adds to the surgical challenge. Herein, we report the surgical nuances of a modified unilateral approach in patients operated for giant bilateral symmetrical mid-third falcine meningiomas. METHODS: Five such patients were operated. The clinico-radiologic data was studied at presentation and at the follow-up. The meningiomas were subclassified into those that were located in the anterior and posterior half of the central falx, and their surgical trajectory was chosen accordingly. The tumor was excised through an oblique anterior or a posterior trajectory instead of directly working over the major draining veins and eloquent brain. The falx was incised to create a surgical window and access the tumor on the contralateral side. RESULTS: Four patients had meningiomas in the anterior half and one in the posterior half of central falx. Simpson excision was grade II in four patients. One patient showed small residual tumor and underwent stereotactic radiosurgery. The overall mean follow-up of the patients was 9.2 months. All the patients had good clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Giant bifalcine meningiomas can be safely resected through a unilateral approach. Falx opening serves as a window to remove the tumor from the contralateral side. An oblique trajectory rather than an end-on access to these tumors minimizes the risk of venous and cortical injury.

Synchondral Fracture of the Posterior "Hemiarch" of Pediatric Atlas with Cerebrospinal Fluid Fistula following a Penetrating Neck Injury.

INTRODUCTION: As such, the incidence of spinal fractures in young children is less than that of adults due to an increased pliability of the immature bones. The presence of unfused synchondroses in these children predisposes them to an infrequent pattern of fractures that traverse through ossification centers. Such synchondral injuries are uncommonly reported in the C1 and C2 vertebrae. Those that have been occasionally described in C1 involved the anterior synchondrosis. Furthermore, penetrating injuries to a pediatric spine are relatively rare. CASE PRESENTATION: In this context, we present a 4-year-old child in whom a penetrating injury to an immature atlas led to an unusual disjunction of the posterior synchondrosis with fracture displacement of the posterior "hemiarch" of the atlas that plunged into the dura, resulting in a cerebrospinal fluid fistula. CONCLUSION: We discuss the possible mechanism and considerations in the management of this unique presentation. Such an atypical fracture pattern involving the posterior hemi ring of the pediatric atlas is previously unknown.

Synchronous solitary calvarial yolk sac tumor metastasis as the initial presentation of mediastinal germ cell tumor.

INTRODUCTION: In children, malignant tumors presenting as a calvarial mass that too as initial manifestation are unusual. Also, brain metastases per se are rare in pediatric solid tumors with an incidence of just 1.5%. CASE DESCRIPTION: We present a child with calvarial metastasis which was the presenting symptom of an otherwise asymptomatic large malignant mediastinal germ cell tumor (GCT). The lesion was dural-based involving both calvaria as well as the underlying brain parenchyma. Despite such multicompartmental location, no obvious bony destruction was seen. A 12-year-old boy presented with progressively enlarging scalp swelling and features of raised intracranial pressure. The lesion was totally excised and calvarial defect reconstructed using titanium mesh. Though the preoperative chest computed tomography suggested teratoma, the histopathology of the cranial lesion was a yolk sac tumor (YST). CONCLUSION: Initial manifestation of GCT as calvarial swelling, pure YST (with no other germ cell component), and the eccentric multicompartmental (dural based) location rather than usual midline GCTs is noteworthy. The report thus highlights an atypical presentation in GCT. Although uncommon, it is worthwhile to consider metastatic GCT as a differential among calvarial lesions.

Bilateral persistent 'second' intersegmental vertebral arteries: illustrated with a case.

Congenital craniovertebral junction deformities can be associated with an anomalous vertebral artery (VA). At times, the artery crosses the joint posteriorly (i.e., persistent first intersegmental artery) and is at risk during posterior approach. We report a new variant, wherein the bilateral VA coursed medially after exiting the C3 transverse foramina to lie beneath C2 pars interarticularis and enter the foramen magnum (without passing through C2 transverse foramen anywhere along its course). This is possibly a result of bilateral persistent second intersegmental arteries. It is pertinent to recognize this unusual variant to avoid VA injury, especially while inserting C2 pars/transarticular screw.

Infratentorial ganglioglioma mimicking pilocytic astrocytoma.

Majority of tumors arising in posterior fossa in children are pilocytic astrocytoma. However, a small subset of these have a neuronal component that may either be admixed throughout with the glial component or may be segregated to one or two regions within the glial element. Interestingly, the radiological features of this subgroup are also distinctive, showing midline location, frequent cyst formation, hemorrhage, and circumscribed nature. Taken together, both radiological and pathological features can fairly predict the subgroup categorization within infratentorial gangliogliomas (GG), as has been recently elucidated. Moreover, these are characterized by distinct molecular abnormalities that are therapeutically targetable, making their recognition critical. We describe an example of infratentorial tumor with its radiology and morphological features distinct enough to place it under the category of GG, group II or pilocytic astrocytoma with gangliocytic differentiation.
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Tectal glioma presenting with clinical triad of obesity, amenorrhea and central cord syndrome with radiological pentad of hydrocephalus, empty sella, suprapineal diverticula, Chiari and syrinx.

BACKGROUND: Tectal gliomas (TG) are slow-growing tumors and generally present with features of increased intracranial pressure. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe an unusual case of a young girl who presented with clinical triad of obesity, primary amenorrhea and central cord syndrome. The radiology unveiled a pentad of hydrocephalus, empty sella, suprapineal recess diverticulum, secondary Chiari malformation and cervical syringomyelia, masking a relatively obscure tectal plate glioma. She was subjected to endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV). All of her symptoms improved after ETV and the tumor is being followed up. The possible pathogenesis of such a highly atypical clinico-radiological presentation is described. CONCLUSION: This unusual syndromic presentation of tectal glioma without clinical features of increased intracranial pressure is probably due to increased compliance of third ventricular walls, and is relieved with ETV.

Atypical imaging in a desmoplastic non-infantile astrocytoma.

INTRODUCTION: Desmoplastic infantile tumors, especially desmoplastic astrocytomas, are uncommon neoplasms that are generally seen within first 2 years of life. Their occurrence in slightly older children is very rare. The typical radiological appearance is a large cystic lesion with small enhancing solid part. CASE: In the present report, we describe a 10-year-old child with atypical appearance of desmoplastic non-infantile astrocytoma which was predominantly solid on imaging. CONCLUSION: Although rare, desmoplastic astrocytomas may present even in older children and should be considered in the differential diagnoses. These tumors may present as predominantly solid enhancing lesions and add to the radiological dilemma.