Giant intracranial infantile myofibromatosis of the skull base: report of two cases.

Infantile myofibromatosis is a rare and nonmalignant pediatric tumor of myofibroblastic origin that may occur in solitary or multifocal forms. Soft tissue of the head and neck, trunk, and extremities, skeleton, and viscera are usually involved. Intracranial involvement is reported to be extremely rare, and its clinical picture has been poorly characterized. We present two cases of giant infantile myofibromatosis of the skull base with intracranial involvement. The first case with prenatal diagnosis involved extensively the extradural space of the occipital region and was previously treated by chemotherapy for a previous diagnosis of hemangioperycitoma. Tumor was removed at the age of 5 months and no recurrence was observed during the 3-year follow-up. The second case in a 2-year-old baby involved the anterior cranial base, the nasal cavity, the right orbit, and presented massive involvement of the anterior cranial fossa. Surgery allowed complete removal and a recurrence-free period of 7 years after surgery. Treatment options for these unusual cases are presented and details of histological diagnosis are discussed.

3D Muography for the Search of Hidden Cavities.

Muography (or muon radiography) is a technique that exploits the penetration capability of muons, elementary particles similar to electrons but with a mass about 200 times larger. High energy muons are naturally produced in the interactions of cosmic rays with the Earth atmosphere. The measurement of their absorption in matter allows the imaging of the inner structure of large bodies. The technological developments in the detection of elementary particles have opened the way to its application in various fields, such as archaeology, studies of geological structures, civil engineering and security issues. We have developed a new approach to the three-dimensional muography of underground structures, capable of directly localising hidden cavities and of reconstructing their shape in space. Our measurements at Mt. Echia, the site of the earliest settlement of the city of Naples in the 8th century BC, have led us to the discovery of a hidden underground cavity, whose existence was not evident with the usual two-dimensional muography graphs. We demonstrate here that our original approach definitely enhances muography discovery potential, especially in case of complex underground systems.

Author Correction: 3D Muography for the Search of Hidden Cavities.

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