Giant, lamellated colloid cyst: 'Russian-Doll' appearance.

Colloid cysts (CCs) are usually small, benign lesions located at the foramen of Monro. They usually grow to a size of 1-3 cms. We have described here a giant colloid cyst of size 6 x 5.2 x 4.4 cm with a unique radiological appearance of multiple concentric layers with different intensities which has not been described before. This unusual appearance is most probably due to the variation of hydration between the different layers with gradually decreasing concentration of protein from centre to periphery, which correlated well with intraoperative and histopathological findings.

Orbitofrontal Extradural Hematoma: Unusual Cause of Proptosis.

INTRODUCTION: Frontal extradural hematoma (EDH) extending into orbit is an uncommon entity. Clinical presentation can be subacutely progressive proptosis following head injury. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of frontal EDH with orbital extension which had delayed progressive proptosis. The patient improved clinically after surgical evacuation of EDH. CONCLUSION: It is important to look for orbital roof fractures, orbital hematoma in cases of head injury. Such cases should be treated surgically at the earliest.

Predictors of Quality of Life at 3 Months after Treatment for Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have a low quality of life (QOL) despite diagnostic and therapeutic advancements. Less than half of the survivors can return to their previous jobs and have difficulty in being a functional part of society. Our study aimed to understand the overall outcome and QOL of these patients and to identify the predictive factors determining the same. METHODS: The clinical and radiological data were recorded at presentation, subsequent intervals at the hospital, and during discharge. Patients were interviewed telephonically or in the clinic subsequently at 3 months after treatment with following outcome assessment tools: Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Barthel Index (BI), QOL after Brain Injury Overall Scale (QOLIBRI-OS), and Short Form 36 (SF 36) QOL scale. RESULTS: Out of the total patients (n = 143), 124 patients survived, of which 106 patients could be interviewed. The mRS, QOLIBRI-OS, BI, and SF36 had a good correlation with each other. Only 4.7% had moderate to severe disability on the mRS scale, and 2.8% had severe disability according to the Barthel index. Nearly one-third of patients had deteriorated QOL. The mental health domain was worst affected. The major determinant of QOL was GCS at presentation (mean P value 0.01), a course in the ward (0.0001), GCS at discharge (0.001). CONCLUSION: Though fewer of the patients had a severe disability, a majority of them had deterioration in QOL.

Management Options for Suprasellar Cystic Craniopharyngioma: Endoscopic Transventricular Approach and Microsurgical Approach.

Objective The treatment of cystic craniopharyngioma in children is varied. The treatment ranges from radical excision to direct radiotherapy. As the morbidity of excision is high, more conservative approaches are used. Transventricular endoscopy is a minimally invasive treatment for cystic craniopharyngiomas. The objective of this study is to compare the outcome of microscopic versus endoscopic transventricular approach for cystic craniopharyngioma. Methods This is a retrospective study of series of children managed with microscopic excision and endoscopic transventricular approach for suprasellar cystic craniopharyngiomas. Operative details, visual outcome, endocrinological outcome, tumor-related cyst recurrence rate, and complication were compared between microscopic and endoscopic groups. Results A total of 28 children underwent microscopic excision and 14 children underwent endoscopic procedure. The anesthesia time was significantly lower with endoscopic as compared to microscopic group ( p = 0.0001) as well as blood loss during surgery ( p = 0.0001). Hospital stay after surgery was shorter in endoscopic group. Incidence of diabetes insipidus was more in microscopic group (25%) compared to endoscopic group (7.14%). Visual outcome was almost same with approaches. Requirement of hormone replacement was more in microscopic group than in endoscopic group ( p = 0.006). Incidence of cyst recurrence was more in microscopic (39.3%) compared to endoscopic group (7.7%). Conclusion Endoscopic transventricular approach is a safe alternative for initial treatment of suprasellar cystic craniopharyngioma in children.

Intracranial Dural-based Convexity Chondroma.

Intracranial chondromas arising from the convexity with dural attachments are extremely rare tumors with scarce reports in the literature. They have atypical radiological findings that can often preclude the preoperative diagnosis. Complete resection is treatment with a good prognosis.