Cervical ependymoma in a male adolescent with neck and back pain.

OBJECTIVE: This case study addresses the clinical presentation, imaging manifestations, and management of an intramedullary ependymoma in an adolescent who presented for chiropractic evaluation with severe neck and back pain. The atypical manifestations of this disorder are emphasized. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 16-year-old male adolescent presented with severe neck and back pain and diffuse paresthesia extending into the dorsum of the forearm and wrist bilaterally. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intramedullary mass extending from C1 to C7. Biopsy of this lesion indicated a grade III intramedullary ependymoma. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: The patient underwent a successful resection of the tumor with minimal neurological deficit. At 4 months after resection, the follow-up examination yielded minimal discomfort in the neck and upper back, however there was severe cervical kyphosis. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging revealed no evidence of intramedullary lesion. CONCLUSION: Although it is a rare and slow growing neoplasm, early detection is critical for optimal postoperative functional outcome that is directly related to the preoperative functional status.

Ependymoma of the spinal cord presenting in a chiropractic practice: 2 case studies.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to discuss the cases of 2 patients with previously undiagnosed primary spinal cord tumors presenting in a private chiropractic clinical setting. An overview of treatment and outcome for an ependymoma at T12-L1 and L1-L2 is discussed. CLINICAL FEATURES: One patient was a 46-year-old Hispanic woman with 3 to 4 years of intermittent backache that usually resolved with conservative care but failed to do so during an acute episode. Lower motor neuron signs, including bowel and bladder dysfunction, were revealed upon clinical assessment. The second patient, a 38-year-old white man under routine treatment, had no lower motor neuron signs or symptoms. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: Both patients were referred, one to a local hospital emergency department and the other directly to a neurosurgeon. Both underwent surgery. Upon returning home, the first patient received follow-up treatment primarily consisting of radiation therapy. Follow-up telephone interviews (3, 6, 12, 24, and 40 months) revealed the patient doing well. The second case did not require radiation therapy and was doing well at 4, 10, 12, and 18 months; the patient returned for unrelated treatment 1 year after the surgery. CONCLUSION: These cases show that with a careful history and patient examination, enough clinical data may be gathered to make an accurate health care determination under various conditions. It also illustrates the importance of interprofessional cooperation for various disciplines of health care providers regardless of training or specialty.

Patient with metastatic adenocarcinoma imitating lumbar herniated nucleus pulposis.

OBJECTIVE: To highlight the utility of Cyriax's selective tissue-tensioning principles, specifically the "Sign of the Buttock," in identifying mechanical behavior of pain of pathologies not amenable to conservative treatment. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 41-year-old man was referred to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Spine Specialty Center with a diagnosis of L5-S1 herniated nucleus pulposis that was recalcitrant to treatment. The onset of symptoms had been 5 months before the patient's appointment at the Spine Center and 6 months after an apparent precipitating trauma. The patient had been followed up by his primary care physician, referred to urology, neurosurgery, and physical medicine and rehabilitation before being referred to the Spine Specialty Center. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: Clinical examination using Cyriax's Sign of the Buttock implicates the hip joint, while it helps to rule out the lumbar spine. Review of previous imaging studies failed to rule out hip pathology. Pelvis and hip magnetic resonance imaging led to suspicion of lytic lesions, and a diagnosis of metastatic adenocarcinoma was made via biopsy. CONCLUSION: We have found Cyriax's Sign of the Buttock to have diagnostic value in this case. When positive, this test may help identify serious extracapsular hip or pelvic pathology.

Subdural spinal granuloma resulting from Candida albicans without immunosufficiency: case report.

STUDY DESIGN: This was a case of spinal subdural granuloma of Candida albicans. A high cerebrospinal fluid protein level without pleocytosis (albuminocytologic dissociation) was observed. This case proved difficult to diagnose and treat. OBJECTIVES: To clarify the important issues in regard to the diagnosis and treatment of possible spinal subdural granuloma resulting from C. albicans. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Reports on subdural infection of C. albicans are very rare. Moreover, there are no reports of cases in which patients have survived this type of infection. METHODS: A 66-year-old man developed paralysis in the lower limbs, as well as vesicorectal disorder (anuresis). There were no obvious causes. Signs of meningeal irritation later appeared. A high cerebrospinal fluid protein level without pleocytosis was observed through a laboratory test. The cause of these disorders was unclear, and a final diagnosis could not be made on the basis of the test results and angiograph. Possible diagnoses included tumor, infection, and others such as Guillain-Barré syndrome. The authors therefore carried out surgery to reduce the pressure on the spinal cord and ultimately make a definitive diagnosis. RESULTS: The final diagnosis was spinal subdural granuloma of C. albicans. Granuloma was widespread (T3-T10). Surgery, various drug treatments, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy all contributed to saving the patient's life. CONCLUSION: This was a very rare case of spinal subdural granuloma resulting from C. albicans, and the authors had difficulty diagnosing and treating the patient. A distinctive gadolinium-enhanced MRI was obtained. The effect of treatment by drugs alone was limited. An intraoperative ultrasonography proved useful. The authors concluded that a combination of early surgery and hyperbaric oxygen therapy was effective.

Schwannoma: challenging diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the presentation of a schwannoma in a 30-year-old man and to discuss the clincial features of this tumor. CLINICAL FEATURES: The patient had lower right back and abdominal pain that was made worse by any jarring motion. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an intradural extramedullary mass of the thoracic spine behind the T10 vertebral body, which was found to be a schwannoma. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: A full laminectomy of T10 and partial laminectomies of T9 and T11 allowed removal of the tumor. CONCLUSION: When undiagnosed abdominal pain is present, spinal tumor should be considered one possible diagnosis.

Consequences of neck manipulation performed by a non-professional.

Case report. Documentation of complication of neck manipulation by an untrained person. Tertiary care referral teaching hospital at Lucknow, India. Clinical evaluation, plain radiography of cervical spine, spinal MRI.A 30-year-old man who fainted after neck manipulation by a barber and developed spinal cord and brainstem dysfunction. His MRI revealed an extramedullary, intradural dumbbell shaped mass on the right side at C1 and C2 level compressing the spinal cord. Public awareness should be increased about the danger of neck manipulation by an untrained person especially in the communities where it is commonly practiced.

Chiasmatic low-grade glioma presenting with sacral intradural spinal metastasis.

Leptomeningeal metastasis of low-grade gliomas in children has been documented in several series, both at the time of diagnosis and at relapse. The authors report a unique case of chiasmatic low-grade astrocytoma presenting with signs and symptoms related to the metastatic site rather than the primary site. In this respect, the possibility of appearance of symptoms and signs related to leptomeningeal dissemination preceding the signs and symptoms belonging to the primary site should be considered in this type of benign tumours.

Chemotherapy for spinal cord astrocytoma: can natural history be modified?

Standard treatment of spinal cord astrocytomas is based upon surgery, followed by radiotherapy when resection is incomplete or when histology is of high grade. Owing to the major consequences of radiotherapy on the spine in childhood, alternative therapies must be explored. The potential role of chemotherapy in the management of spinal cord astrocytoma remains to be defined. Two patients are described. The first was a 19-month-old child with an anaplastic astrocytoma of the cervical spinal cord that progressed rapidly after initial partial resection. Chemotherapy was begun according to the UKCCSG Baby Brain Protocol, with marked clinical improvement. Reassessment by MRI at 4 months showed improvement, and at the end of treatment no evaluable disease remained. The second was a 4-year-old child with a recurrent low-grade astrocytoma. Chemotherapy according to the SIOP Protocol for Low Grade Gliomas was administered for 3 months, after which marked tumour regression was seen, with neurological recovery. These patients demonstrate the potential value and low morbidity of chemotherapy in spinal cord astrocytoma. The management of this rare tumour is discussed.

[Integrated (biopsychosocial) treatment in the family practice: a pregnant patient with a sacral tumor and severe posttraumatic stress disorder]. / Integrale (biopsychosociale) behandeling in de praktijk: een zwangere patiënte met een sacrumtumor en een ernstige posttraumatische stressstoornis.

In a 25-year-old woman pregnant for the second time after a successful first pregnancy, a locally aggressive, invasive sacrum tumour was diagnosed. The execution of the necessary but potentially mutilating surgical procedures was seriously hampered even during the preparative phase, in spite of the conscious wish of the patient to comply, by her severe psychiatric problems (posttraumatic stress disorder with dissociative symptoms). The Psychiatric Consultation Service took over the case management and an integrated (biopsychosocial) diagnostic investigation was carried out, involving analysis of the problems on four system levels: the biological, the psychological, the social and the health care level. An integrated treatment plan was drafted. By collaboration of the entire multidisciplinary treatment team conditions were secured under which patient would let herself be treated. In this way she was enabled to undergo the necessary procedures, with good results.

Magnetic resonance detection of myelodysplasia in children with Currarino triad.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of MRI in the detection of myelodysplasia in children with Currarino triad. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six patients (two girls, four boys, aged 7 months-14 years, mean age 6 years) were studied with MRI, voiding cystourethrogram and barium enema or fistulography. CT and ultrasonography were also performed in two patients. RESULTS: All patients presented with partial agenesis of the sacrum. Three patients suffered from an intermediate form of anorectal malformation (ARM) and three had a high form of ARM. The presacral masses consistent with Currarino triad included anterior meningocoele in three patients, lipoma in two patients and anterior lipomeningocoele in one patient. MRI diagnosed tethering of the spinal cord in four of six patients. The tethering of the spinal cord was due to a lipomeningocoele in one patient, an intradural lipoma in one patient and a lipoma of the filum in two patients. CONCLUSION: The association of Currarino triad with tethered spinal cord seems more common than generally reported in the literature. Preoperative MRI of the lumbosacral spine is essential to detect significant myelodysplasia in all patients with Currarino triad.

Gangliogliomas involving the optic chiasm.

We report three patients with gangliogliomas involving the optic chiasm via distinct mechanisms. The ganglioglioma in one patient likely originated in the temporal lobe and spread medially to involve the chiasm, and diffuse spinal cord dissemination also occurred. Chiasmal involvement in this manner and dissemination at presentation are unusual for gangliogliomas. The tumor in a second patient was intrinsic to the hypothalmus and chiasm, while in the third patient, it involved both optic tracts, and a cyst compressed the chiasm laterally. Two patients developed severe bilateral visual loss, while the other had a stable bitemporal hemianopsia. Two patients received radiotherapy, but one continued to lose vision. Although gangliogliomas rarely involve chiasm, the mechanisms by which they produce chiasmal visual loss may be diverse, and the long-term visual prognosis is variable.

Magnetic resonance imaging versus computed tomography scan: accurate diagnosis of soft tissue lesions.

Due to their cost effectiveness and accessibility, computed tomography (CT) scans are being utilized when magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appears to be the diagnostic technique of choice. Because of their availability, CT scans are still used for diagnosis of disc herniations. MRI may, however, be superior in its specificity. In taking into account the subjective complaint and orthopedic and neurological findings, a disk herniation can often be diagnosed without a CT scan or MRI. However, should the patient fail to respond to conservative care or show unusual symptoms, an MRI is indicated. This article discusses a case where MRI would be the imaging procedure of choice.

Comparison of plain and Gd-DTPA-enhanced MR-imaging in children.

40 children and adolescents (aged 1-16 years) were examined by MRI at 1.0 T. Gd-DTPA was given intravenously at a dose of 0.1 mmol/kg body weight. In all cases T1-weighted SE sequences were used to demonstrate contrast enhancement. No adverse effects were seen. 30 patients had one or more lesions; in 20 patients contrast enhancement was seen. In 4 cases lesions were not observed by plain MRI and could only be detected after Gd-DTPA. In addition, contrast enhancement provided additional information about the differentiation of lesion from edema or necrosis in 13 patients. Normal brain matter did not show any changes in signal intensity. However, an age-dependent signal increase was found in the normal vertebral bone marrow in all children. Gd-DTPA should be used as a supplementary examination whenever a tumor or an infectious disease of the CNS is suspected and plain MRI is normal, or when origin and extent of a lesion cannot be adequately defined with plain MRI.

[Clinical picture and diagnosis of leptomeningeal sarcomatosis]. / Klinika i diagnostika sarkomatoza miagkikh mozgovykh obolochek

The study is based on the analysis of 10 cases of sarcomatosis of the brain and spinal pia mater. A progressive development of the disease, cachaxia, the existence of focal symptoms, radicle pain, xantochromia in the CSF, protein-cell dissociation and some other signs are characteristic of primary sarcomatosis of the pia mater. On the basis of clinical symptoms and CSF changes it is possible vitaly to perform a differential diagnosis with chronic infectious diseases and especially with tubercular meningitis and polyradiculomyelitis. Pathomorphological studies revealed tissue infiltration of the surrounding intracerebral vessels by tumors cells without proliferation into the dura mater and radicles of the spinal cord.