A new surgical technique for the removal of extensive spinal epidural hydatid cyst.

BACKGROUND: Extensive spinal epidural hydatidosis may contribute to extensive spinal cord compression. Multilevel laminectomy with surgical excision remains the gold standard for treating these lesions which are typically invasive, and have a high recurrence rate. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 35-year-old female with recurrent extensive spinal epidural hydatid cysts was treated with a limited laminectomy and uniquely with irrigation-aspiration with isotonic saline water through an epidural catheter under fluoroscopic guidance and x-ray control. The postoperative MRI documented the hydatid cysts have collapsed and the patient's paraparesis improved. She developed no disease recurrence or renewed deficits over the next 12 months. CONCLUSION: Through a laminectomy, an epidural catheter may be introduced under fluoroscopic guidance/x-ray control to uniquely irrigate with isotonic saline/aspirate and decompress-the epidural hydatid cysts. This is particularly useful in patients with significant comorbidities, who are not candidates for more aggressive surgical decompression. Further, all patients should be continued on prolonged chemotherapy and should be monitored closely due to the high rate of recurrence of these cysts.

A rare tumour in the cerebellopontine angle: endolymphatic sac tumour.

We present a case of a papillary tumour at the cerebellopontine angle in a 54-year-old man. He presented with right-sided ear pain associated with dizziness and hearing loss. The radiological diagnosis was in favor of acoustic neurinoma. Surgical excision was performed and the diagnosis of the endolymphatic sac tumour was made. Endolymphatic tumour is a low grade adenocarcinoma that originates from the endolymphatic sac. The definitive diagnosis requires a combination of clinical features, radiological finding and pathological correlation.

Diagnosis and management challenge of a granular cell astrocytoma of the pineal region: case report.

Granular cell astrocytoma (GCA) is a rare type of infiltrative brain tumor with most reported cases occurring in the suprasellar region. A pineal localization is extremely rare, with only 4 previously reported cases in the literature. The authors describe the case of a 16-year-old boy who developed signs of increased intracranial pressure and Parinaud syndrome. Cranial CT and MRI revealed a well-demarcated and enhanced mass in the pineal region accompanied by obstructive hydrocephalus. Subtotal resection was performed via a subtemporal approach. A histological diagnosis of GCA was made. Three years after surgery, the patient was alive and well without adjuvant therapy, and serial MRI showed no signs of progression of a small residual tumor. After a thorough review of the different epidemiological, clinical, and imaging features; treatments; and prognoses of GCAs in other intracranial localizations, the authors analyzed features of this tumor in the pineal region.

Pediatric intramedullary schwannoma without neurofibromatosis: case report.

Pediatric intramedullary schwannoma without neurofibromatosis is extremely rare with only five cases reported so far. We present this rare finding in an 10-year-old boy who presented with a sudden onset of weakness in the lower limbs. An intraoperative diagnosis of schwannoma enabled us to carry out a total excision of the tumor, which resulted in near complete recovery at 10 months follow-up. Although rare, this diagnosis should be considered when a child presents with a solitary intramedullary tumor since its total resection can be achieved improving surgical outcome.

Factors influencing the prognosis in intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas with perimedullary drainage.

OBJECTIVE: Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas with perimedullary venous drainage (IDAVFPD) are classified as type V dural arteriovenous fistulas. Publications are limited to single case reports and small case series. We conducted a systematic review of the literature for patients with IDAVFPD. The aim of this study is to identify the predictive factors of poor prognosis in patients with IDAVFPD. METHODS: We present the case of a 48-year-old man who underwent surgical interruption of IDAVFPD. A complete MEDLINE search was then undertaken for all articles reporting outcomes data for IDAVFPD. According to the results we have divided the patient population into two groups: I, those patients who showed improvement after treatment, and II: those patients who did not show improvement. We conducted a comparative statistical analysis of the epidemiologic, clinical, radiologic, and therapeutic parameters between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 37 articles comprising with 58 cases were included for analysis with an average follow-up of 12 months. There were 36 patients in group I and 22 in group II. The average age was 57.8 years in group I and 54.3 years in group II (P=0.32). Onset of symptoms was acute or subacute in 57% of patients in group I, and in 50% of patients in group II (P=0.62). Bulbar signs were present in 28% of cases in group I and in 36% of cases in group II (P=0.49). Hyperintensity of the brainstem on T2-weighted sequence magnetic resonance imaging was more common in patients in group II (78%) compared with patients in group I (45%) (P=0.012). Patients who underwent surgical procedure have shown good outcomes compared to patients treated with endovascular approach (P=0.039). CONCLUSIONS: The poor outcomes were correlated to the presence of brainstem signal abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging, whereas the prognosis does not depend on age, sex, clinical presentation, or anatomic characteristics of the fistula.

Giant cerebral cavernoma. Case report with literature review.

Giant cerebral cavernoma is a rare malformation classified as a brain occult vascular lesion. We report a case of initially misdiagnosed giant cavernous angioma revealed by a spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. A 40-year-old woman was admitted with right hemiplegia and altered consciousness occurring 3 days prior to presentation. A non-contrast CT scan showed a left parietal gross hematoma, and she was immediately taken to the operating room for emergency surgery. However, the procedure was interrupted by massive bleeding, and therefore a vascular lesion was suspected. Magnetic resonance images suggested a giant cavernous malformation. Afterward, she underwent total removal of this lesion. The postoperative period was uneventful, and histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of cavernous angioma. Thus, the differential diagnosis of gross spontaneous intracerebral hematoma should include giant cavernous angioma.