3D quantitative assessment of response to fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy and single-session stereotactic radiosurgery of vestibular schwannoma.

OBJECTIVES: To determine clinical outcome of patients with vestibular schwannoma (VS) after treatment with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) and single-session stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) by using 3D quantitative response assessment on MRI. MATERIALS: This retrospective analysis included 162 patients who underwent radiation therapy for sporadic VS. Measurements on T1-weighted contrast-enhanced MRI (in 2-year post-therapy intervals: 0-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 years) were taken for total tumour volume (TTV) and enhancing tumour volume (ETV) based on a semi-automated technique. Patients were considered non-responders (NRs) if they required subsequent microsurgical resection or developed radiological progression and tumour-related symptoms. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 4.1 years (range: 0.4-12.0). TTV and ETV decreased for both the FSRT and SRS groups. However, only the FSRT group achieved significant tumour shrinkage (p < 0.015 for TTV, p < 0.005 for ETV over time). The 11 NRs showed proportionally greater TTV (median TTV pre-treatment: 0.61 cm(3), 8-10 years after: 1.77 cm(3)) and ETV despite radiation therapy compared to responders (median TTV pre-treatment: 1.06 cm(3); 10-12 years after: 0.81 cm(3); p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: 3D quantification of VS showed a significant decrease in TTV and ETV on FSRT-treated patients only. NR had significantly greater TTV and ETV over time. KEY POINTS: Only FSRT not GK-treated patients showed significant tumour shrinkage over time. Clinical non-responders showed significantly less tumour shrinkage when compared to responders. 3D volumetric assessment of vestibular schwannoma shows advantages over unidimensional techniques.

[Leptomeningeal spread of an intramedullary cervical pilocytic astrocytoma: case report and literature review]. / Diseminación leptomeníngea de un astrocitoma pilocítico cervical en el adulto:publicación de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

BACKGROUND. The rarest location of pilocytic astrocytoma is intramedullary. Gliomas represent up to 24 - 30% of intramedullary tumors in adulthood and are second only after ependymomas. Leptomeningeal dissemination through cerebrospinal fluid is unusual and occurs predominantly in medulloblastomas, ependymoblastomas, central neuroblastomas, ependymomas, germ cell tumors and high-grade gliomas. The majority of spinal cord gliomas reporting metastasis were anaplastic astrocytomas or glioblastomas multiforme and relatively few were low-grade gliomas. The incidence of leptomeningeal spread of low-grade tumors is rare. A rare cranial extension of brain leptomeningeal dissemination in an intramedullary pilocytic astrocytoma during adulthood is reported. CASE REPORT. A 51 year-old-man with a recurrent intramedullary mass at C5-C7 level operated 4 times with all pathological anatomy reports describing the lesion as Pilocytic Astrocytoma developed, after 15 years from the diagnosis, visual hallucinations and his level of consciousness worsened to Glasgow coma score 13/15. The MRI showed highly enhanced cranial and spinal leptomeninges and paquimeninges with a micro nodular-granulomatous aspect associated with intense affectation of basal cisterns, subarachnoid spaces and convexity of both cerebral hemispheres suggestive of leptomeningeal spread of the spinal mass. The patient expired after three days. CONCLUSION. Leptomeningeal spread is a rare phenomenon and when it happens usually doesn't change the primary tumor's behavior. In our case the aggressiveness could be explained by a potential malignization of the primary tumor that it was not documented because of the partial resections from the lasts surgeries or instead the tumor was actually a monomorphous pilomyxoid tumor.

[Iatrogenic cervical epidural hematoma: case report and review of the literature]. / Heamtoma epidural ccervical yatrogenico. Presentacion de un caso clinico y revision de la literatura.

BACKGROUND: Around 600 spinal epidural hematoma cases have been previously reported. Incidence of paraplegia after epidural anesthesia varies between 0,0005 and 0,02%. Several possible etiologies have been described in the literature, including surgery, trauma, anticoagulant therapy, arteriovenous malformations, pregnancy and lumbar puncture. Spinal and epidural anesthesic procedures represent the tenth most common cause. But in combination with anticoagulant therapy, the forementioned procedures increase its incidence until reaching the fifth most common etiological group. We report the case of an 80 year-old-man with a cervical epidural hematoma who had a good outcome with conservative management. CASE REPORT: 80 year-old-man that developed intense cervicalgia with lower limbs weakness showing complete paraplegia and arreflexia 2 hours after analgesic treatment with epidural cervical infiltration for cervicoartrosis. Cervical MRI showed epidural cervical hematoma between C4 and T1 levels. The patient is transferred to our facilities in order to perform surgery. But after showing fast recovery, medical conservative management was elected. After one month, the patient's condition has improved showing no neurological deficits and complete resorption is seen in MRI. CONCLUSIONS: Nowadays, trend is to perform surgery in patients with spinal hematoma and significant neurological deterioration during the first hours. However, good neurological outcomes can be achieved with conservative management, in well selected patients with non progressive, incomplete and partial deficits. Presently, we can not predict which is the best treatment for each case.