Cavernous Hemangioma of the Mastoid Antrum.

Hemangioma is a common vascular neoplasm that arises in the head and neck regions but is rare in the petrous bone. We report the first case of a solitary cavernous hemangioma in the mastoid antrum. A 68-year-old woman visited our hospital with a complaint of tinnitus without any other symptoms. Tinnitus of the right ear occurred especially when the patient yawned or swallowed. Both tympanic membranes appeared normal on otoscopic examination. On pure-tone audiometry, mild hearing loss up to 25 dB was detected in the right ear. Temporal bone computed tomography revealed a 7.0 mm × 4.5 mm × 5 mm, solitary soft tissue mass in the aditus ad antrum. Excisional biopsy was performed under general anesthesia through the canal wall as in a mastoidectomy. The mass was completely removed without any bleeding or ossicular chain damage. The mass was confirmed as a cavernous hemangioma. During follow-up, the patient's tinnitus and right low-tone hearing loss improved. No solitary hemangioma of the mastoid antrum has been reported previously. Surgical excision of the lesion appears to be proper treatment to achieve pathologic confirmation along with resolution of symptoms.

Fully Endoscopic Resection of Frontal Osteomas.

BACKGROUND: Osteomas are the most common primary bone tumors of the calvaria, with an incidence of less than 0.5%. In skull vault osteomas, the exostotic form that grows from the outer table is more common than the enostotic ones which arise from the inner table and grow intracranially. Osteomas of the forehead are very noticeable and disfiguring; patients usually seek medical advice for cosmetic reasons. Forehead osteomas were traditionally excised via either a direct incision over the lesion using the naturally occurring creases or a conventional bicoronal flap. More recently, endoscopic approaches for excision of forehead osteomas were introduced. The results were very encouraging and the technique was adopted by many groups worldwide yet with many technical variations. In this chapter we elaborate on the surgical technique and nuances of the fully endoscopic resection of frontal osteomas. METHODS: From a prospective database of endoscopic procedures maintained by the senior author, clinical data, imaging studies, operative charts, and videos of cases of forehead osteomas were retrieved and analyzed. The pertinent literature was also reviewed. RESULTS: The surgical technique of the fully endoscopic resection of frontal osteomas was formulated. CONCLUSION: The endoscopic technique has many advantages over the conventional procedures. In our hands, the technique has proven to be less time-consuming, efficient, and minimally invasive with excellent cosmetic results.

Squamous cell carcinoma of ear and temporal bone: A retrospective study on clinicopathological predictors.

BACKGROUND: Ear and temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma (ETBSCC) is a rare and aggressive malignant tumor with minimal clinicopathological studies. The object of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the predictive effect of clinicopathological variables on the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of ETBSCC patients in a single tertiary medical center in Tianjin, China. METHODS: A cohort of 44 patients with diagnosed ETBSCC from December 2012 to August 2022 were retrospectively studied. Univariate and multivariate analysis were, respectively, performed for the assessment of clinicopathological predictors, including sex, age, history of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM), lesion side, diameter, the choice of surgical approach, parotidectomy, neck dissection, adjuvant therapies, T stage, lymph node metastasis, tumor grade, margin, perineural invasion (PNI), and Ki-67 index. RESULTS: Seventeen females and 27 males were included, with the mean age of 65 years old, ranging from 36 to 89 years. The 5-year OS rate was 43% (mean 51 months, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 39-64). Significant prediction of a worse prognosis for 5-year OS rate was observed under univariate analysis for advanced T stage, positive margin, identified PNI, and higher Ki-67 index, respectively. Advanced T stage was confirmed to be an independent prognostic factor strongly affecting 5-year OS rate among this cohort of patients using a multivariate cox proportional hazard model. CONCLUSION: We found that clinicopathological parameters, especially postoperative pathological parameters, play a critical role in predicting the prognosis of ETBSCC patients.

Success and safety of endoscopic versus microscopic resection of temporal bone paraganglioma: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Temporal bone paraganglioma (TBP) are the most common tumors of the middle ear. They pose a challenge in otologic surgery due to their extensive vascularity and intricate location within the middle ear. This meta-analysis aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of two surgical approaches, microscopic middle ear surgery (MMES) and endoscopic middle ear surgery (EMES), in the resection of TBP. METHODS: Eligible studies published after 1988 were identified through systematic searches of "PubMed", "Scopus" and "Google Scholar". Retrospective studies and randomized/non-randomized control trials reporting on surgical approaches for TBP with a minimum of five adult patients were included. RESULTS: A total of 595 records were initially identified. After removing 229 duplicates, 349 articles were excluded based upon article subject, title and abstract. Following the review of full texts, 13 articles were assessed for eligibility. The pooled analysis included a total of 529 ears, with a complication rate of 7.8% for EMES and 14.2% for MMES. Subgroup differences indicated no significant variation between the two methods (p = 0.2945). CONCLUSION: Both EMES and MMES demonstrated favorable surgical outcomes with low complication rates for TBP resection. These findings suggest that EMES is a safe and effective method for TBP resection and one that is comparable to MMES. Since the risk of bleeding is significant in these tumors, a third-hand technique, endoscopic bipolar cautery or laser-assisted hemostasis should be considered. Conversion to MMES is another option when visibility is critically affected by bleeding.

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy arising in the skull: a case report.

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy is a rare and usually benign neoplasm occurring in children of young age. This pigmented tumor typically presents in the head and neck region, but other locations may be involved. We report in this article a rare case of a 3-month-old girl presenting with a slowly growing mass localized in the anterior fontanelle. The patient's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a mass extending both extracranial and intracranial, and compressing the adjacent structures. The patient underwent subtotal resection of the mass and a histological study confirmed the diagnosis of melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy. The patient presented later on with a recurrence. An early diagnosis and surgical management for these tumors remain the only guarantees to limit the progression and prevent their recurrence and metastasis.

Desmoplastic fibroma of the pediatric cranium with CTNNB1 mutation: case report and literature review.

PURPOSE: Desmoplastic fibroma (DF) is an uncommon intermediate bone tumor rarely involving the skull with unidentified pathogenesis. We report the first case of pediatric temporoparietal cranial desmoplastic fibroma (DF) with a CTNNB1 gene mutation and review the previous literature. CASE PRESENTATION: A 3-year-old boy had a firm, painless mass on the right temporoparietal region for 22 months. The cranial CT scan showed isolated osteolytic destruction in the outer plate and diploe of the right temporoparietal bone. Gross total resection of the lesion and cranioplasty were performed. After that, a growing epidural hematoma was observed so another operation was performed to remove the artificial titanium plate. Postoperative pathology indicated a DF diagnosis and molecular pathology suggested a missense mutation in exon 3 of the CTNNB1 gene (c.100G > A,p.Gly34Arg). CONCLUSION: Pediatric cranial DF is rare and easy to be misdiagnosed before operation. For cranial DF, lesion resection can be performed and perioperative management should be strengthened. Mutations in the CTNNB1 gene might be one of the molecular pathologic features of DF.

Endoscopic Approach With an Innovative Mini-Trocar for Forehead Osteoma Excision.

Traditionally forehead bony lesion is approached directly through the forehead skin or invasive coronal incision resulting prominent scar. An endoscopic approach through mini hairline incisions may provide a unique way to achieve the best esthetic results, but often time the authors encounter potential soft tissue injury from the high-speed burr. The authors present a case with multiple frontal bone osteoma lesions which were successfully removed through 2 small hairline incisions with the help of an otorhinolaryngological system and an innovative mini-trocar. Significant improvement in forehead shape with minimal scars was observed at an 18-month follow-up. This innovative and easily manipulating technique may help surgeons achieve better outcomes when treating frontal bone osteoma endoscopically.

Long-Term Survival after Primary Ewing's Sarcoma of the Skull with Intracranial Extension.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Primary Ewing's sarcoma of the skull is a very rare malignant neoplasm, predominantly occurring in children and adolescents. We describe here the clinical, neuroradiologic, and histopathologic features of a patient with primary Ewing's sarcoma of the skull and discuss the standards of therapy for this type of tumor. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: This 18-year-old male patient presented with a primary Ewing's sarcoma of the skull, involving the dura of the frontal and parietal lobes of the left cerebral hemisphere. He was treated with gross total surgical excision of tumor, skull reconstruction, chemotherapy, and irradiation. Twelve years after the surgery, the patient has no evidence of local recurrence or distant metastases. Radical surgical excision of the primary tumor with safety margins is thought to play a role in the favorable clinical course. CONCLUSION: The presented case is the longest surviving patient after treatment of primary Ewing's sarcoma of the skull bone. This rare type of tumor may allow better survival rates under adequate management than sarcoma elsewhere in the body.

[Primary intraosseous cavernous hemangioma of the cranium: a case report]. / Pervichnaya vnutrikostnaya kavernoznaya gemangioma kostei cherepa: obzor literatury i opisanie klinicheskogo nablyudeniya khirurgicheskogo lecheniya.

Primary intraosseous cavernous hemangioma (PICH) is a rare benign vascular tumor. This neoplasm is common in the spine and less common in skull. Toynbee J. first described this tumor in 1845. PICH of the cranium does not always have typical X-ray features and should be always differentiated with other more common skull lesions. Surgical resection is preferable since total resection is followed by favorable prognosis. We present a 65-year-old patient with asymptomatic tumor of the right parietal bone. CT revealed osteolytic lesion that required total resection and skull repair. Histopathological analysis revealed intraosseous cavernous hemangioma.

Endoscopic Approach for Resection of Frontal Forehead Osteoma: Technical Case Report Instruction.

Forehead osteomas are benign bone tumors. They are frequently associated with exophytic growth in the outer table of the skull, causing cosmetic disfigurement of the face.1-9 The objective of this study was to present the efficacy and feasibility of the endoscopic treatment of forehead osteomas by presenting a case report with details of the surgical technique. A 40-year-old female patient presented with aesthetic complains of a progressing bulge in the forehead. A computed tomography scan with 3-dimensional reconstruction showed bone lesions on the right side of the forehead. The patient underwent surgery under general anesthesia with no noticeable incision, which was planned 2 cm behind the hairline in the midline because the osteoma was close to the midline plane on the forehead (Video 1). A retractor coupled with a 4-mm channel for endoscopy and a 30-degree optic was used to dissect, elevate the pericranium, and locate the 2 bone lesions in the forehead. The lesions were removed using a chisel, endoscopic facelifting raspatory, and a 3-mm burr drill. The tumors were resected completely, resulting in good cosmetic outcomes. The endoscopic approach for treating forehead osteomas is less invasive and facilitates complete removal of tumors, which results in good cosmetic outcomes. Neurosurgeons should consider and add this feasible approach to enhance their surgical armamentarium.

Transillumination of an Anterior Fontanelle Dermoid Cyst.

Dermoid cysts are slowly growing benign lesions of ectodermal tissue that often occur in the anterior fontanelle. Clinicians often rely on a negative transillumination test to begin the process of correctly diagnosing a dermoid cyst. However, here the authors present a case of a 7-month-old girl who presents with a transilluminating dermoid cyst.

Extradural hematoma from trauma to midline skull tumour.

We present a case of extradural hematoma resulting from a relatively minor closed injury over the vertex where a plasma cell tumour had invaded the superior sagittal sinus. The patient underwent an emergency craniotomy and evacuation of the hematoma. Hemostasis and prevention of recollection of the hematoma were hampered by the erosion of the sagittal sinus making its direct repair impossible. This was achieved by hitching up the dura lateral to the sinus to become its lateral wall reinforced by hemostatic agents. The patient made a full recovery. Malignant tumours invading the dural venous sinuses and eroding the skull can cause life-threatening intracranial bleeding after relatively minor trauma.

Giant Skull Tumor: A Benign Meningioma.

ABSTRACT: A 37-year-old male patient was complaining from painless forehead swelling, which started 5 years ago. Brain computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging showed a large extradural mass compressing the both frontal lobes with skull bone infiltration, hyperostosis and enlargement. The patient was operated in 2 stages. In the first stage, the authors achieved separation for the tumor from the scalp and skull. In the second stage after 1 week, the authors continued with circumferential dural opening around the tumor and separation of the tumor from brain tissue. Duroplasty was performed by autologous fascia latta and skin flap was closed primarily. The specimen was received grossly as huge mass weighing 1530 g and measuring 39 × 16 × 12 cm. Histopathologic examination showed grade I meningioma extending beyond the skull to the surrounding soft tissue.

Pediatric Cases of Recurrent Skull Giant Osteoma Misdiagnosed as Fibrous Dysplasia.

ABSTRACT: Osteomas are benign mature bone tumors that typically arise in the skull. Osteomas larger than 3 cm in diameter are considered giant osteomas. Giant osteomas of the skull vault are very rare, especially in children; therefore, only a few cases have been reported in the literature. Although osteomas are usually asymptomatic, a large skull mass can cause headache, as well as esthetic disfigurement of the forehead. it can be misdiagnosed as other conditions, such as fibrous dysplasia, ossifying cephalhematoma, or other malignant bone tumors. Herein, the authors report 2 rare pediatric cases of giant osteomas mimicking fibrous dysplasia and their successful surgical excision. These cases showed good results without recurrence or complications on long-term follow-up after complete excision.

Primary Intraosseous Cavernous Hemangioma of the Cranium: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Primary intraosseous cavernous hemangioma (PICH) is a rare, benign tumor of vascular origin, typically arising in the vertebral body. Its presence in the skull is exceedingly rare, with only a few cases being reported worldwide. We carried out the first systematic review of the literature, covering the epidemiology, clinical and imaging features, management, and prognosis of cranial PICH. The literature search revealed 51 studies with 77 patients; the mean age of the patients was 32.7 years with a female predominance of 1.4:1. The majority of cranial PICHs were located in the calvarium, primarily in the frontal and parietal regions, with only a few located in the skull base. The most common initial clinical manifestation was local growth or swelling, followed by a headache. Radiographically, PICHs represented osteolytic, intradiploic masses, which in many cases displayed trabeculations, leading to the so-called "honeycomb" or "starburst" pattern. After contrast administration, PICHs typically enhance. Tumor removal, with craniectomy or en bloc resection and subsequent skull reconstruction, was selected for calvarial PICHs, whereas a transsphenoidal approach, with only partial resection, was applied for clival/sella PICHs. Preoperative embolization, aiming to minimize intraoperative blood loss, was performed in the case of large tumors. At a mean follow-up of 39 months, no patient experienced tumor recurrence, even after subtotal resection. Owing to the benign nature of the tumor, maximal safe resection is recommended as the treatment of choice for patients with cranial PICH.

Two-step treatment of a giant skull vault hemangioma: A rare case report and literature review.

Skull vault hemangiomas are benign vascular tumours of the calvaria that are usually asymptomatic or present as firm, painless lumps. We present a case of a 59-year-old female with a giant intraosseous calvarial hemangioma that was admitted in our department with a palpable mass over the left frontoparietal region, personality changes and impaired emotional and cognitive functions. The patient was treated with a two-step approach involving endovascular and surgical treatment, and suffered two rare, but recognized complications, a contrecoup intracerebral haemorrhage and valproate-induced stupor and parkinsonism. At the 6-month follow-up, the patient had complete recovery with a good neurological outcome.

Cranioplasty With Customized Craniofacial Implants and Intraoperative Resizing for Single-Stage Reconstruction Following Oncologic Resection of Skull Neoplasms.

BACKGROUND: Craniectomies requiring skull reconstruction are indicated following oncological resection of masses involving the underlying brain and/or skull. Immediate cranioplasties have previously been performed using suboptimal hand-bending or molding techniques using "off - the - shelf" products. Today with computer - aided design, customized craniofacial implants have become widely available for personalized reconstruction of resected bone and soft tissue. We present here the largest series to date of single stage reconstruction using alloplastic biomaterials in consecutive patient series with oversized customized implants. METHODS: A single-surgeon, retrospective, 8-year study was conducted on all consecutive patients undergoing single stage cranioplasty with prefabricated implants using a myriad of biomaterials. All outcomes were analyzed in detail and compared with previous studies utilizing similar alloplastic implants. RESULTS: In total, 56 patients underwent resection of skull neoplasms and subsequent cranioplasty reconstruction using customized implants. The most common neoplasms were meningiomas (39%). The most common complications seen among patients were dehiscence - (7%), and extrusion of implant - (3.5%). There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between patients who had postoperative chemotherapy/radiotherapy versus those that did not (22.2% versus 13.1%, P = 0.39). One-year follow-up revealed acceptable cranial contour and symmetry in all 56 cases. CONCLUSIONS: This is a consecutive case series of prefabricated single-stage cranioplasty, following resection of brain tumors with bone extension or skull bone neoplasm, demonstrating excellent results with regards to safety and patient satisfaction. There are several advantages such as comprehensive resection and reconstruction plan using 3D models, shorter operative time, and better restoration of complex anatomy.

Epidemiological Profile of 96 Intracranial Tumors Treated in a Single Reference Center

Objectives The present study aims to categorize the prevalence of intracranial tumors surgically treated at the neurosurgery service of Hospital Universitário Evangélico Mackenzie (HUEM) between 2016 and 2018. Material and Methods This survey included patients surgically treated due to primary or metastatic intracranial neoplasia between 2016 and 2018 at a referral center in the city of Curitiba. These patients were analyzed for epidemiological, histopathological, and topographic data, and they underwent an assessment of the outcome at the time of hospital discharge. Results Atotal of 96patientsmet the inclusion criteria. Themost prevalent tumorwas the glioma, with 39.6% of the sample, with glioblastoma being themost prevalent histological type. Brainmetastases andmeningiomas represented, respectively, 21.9%and 18.8%of the total. There was a predominance of supratentorial and intra-axial tumors in our sample. Conclusion Glioma was the most commonly found tumor, directly associated with high morbidity and mortality. The development of new and more effective drugs with action directed at themolecular level of intracranial tumorsmay be the path to a longer survival and improvement in the quality of life of these patients.

Cranial sonolucent prosthesis: a window of opportunity for neuro-oncology (and neuro-surgery).

INTRODUCTION: Ultrasound (US) is a versatile technology, able to provide a real-time and multiparametric intraoperative imaging, and a promising way to treat neuro-oncological patients outside the operating room. Anyhow, its potential is limited both in imaging and therapeutic purposes by the existence of the bone shielding. To enhance the spectrum of uses, our group has designed a dedicated US-translucent cranial prosthesis. Herein, we provide the proof of concept of a long-term US-based follow-up and a potential bedside therapeutic exploitation of US. METHODS: The prosthesis was first implanted in a cadaveric specimen to record any issue related to the cranioplasty procedure. Hence, the device was implanted in a patient undergoing surgery for a multi-recurrent anaplastic oligodendroglioma. US multiparametric scans through the device were acquired at 3, 6, 9, and 30 months after the procedure. RESULTS: The prosthesis could be modeled and implanted through ordinary instruments, with no concerns over safety and feasibility. Trans-prosthesis multiparametric US imaging was feasible, with image quality comparable to intraoperative US. Long-term follow-up in an outpatient setting was possible with no adverse events. Trans-prosthesis mechanical interaction with microbubbles was also feasible during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This report provides the first proof of concept for a potential breakthrough in the management of neuro-oncological patients. Indeed, through the implantation of an artificial acoustic window, the road is set to employ US both for a more dynamic long-term follow-up, and for US-guided therapeutic applications.