Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks in the anterior skull base secondary to idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks represent a clinical entity in which CSF rhinorrhea occurs in the absence of any inciting event. Spontaneous CSF leaks are associated with elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) or have underlying idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). We report a cohort of patients who have undergone nasal endoscopic repair for spontaneous CSF leaks. We review our perioperative complications and the effectiveness of the nasal endoscopic approach to repair spontaneous CSF leaks. Also, we examine the evidence correlating spontaneous CSF leaks and IIH and the role of decreasing ICP in the treatment of nasal spontaneous CSF leaks. A retrospective analysis of patients with nasal spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks was performed. Data on the nature of presentation, patient body mass index, defect location and size, ICP, clinical follow-up, and complications were collected. Thirty-five patients had nasal spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks with evidence of IIH's symptoms. The most common sites were the cribriform plate, the ethmoid roof, and sphenoid lateral pterygoid recess. All patients underwent endonasal endoscopic surgery to repair the defect. Postoperatively, all patients underwent lumbar drainage and acetazolamide therapy. Nasal spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks represent a surgical challenge because of their high recurrence rates. The most important factor for obtaining a successful repair in these patients is reducing their intracranial pressure through nutritional, medical, or surgical means.

[Cerebral infarction after pituitary apoplexy: Description of a case and review of the literature]. / Infarto cerebral tras apoplejía pituitaria: descripción de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

Pituitary apoplexy is usually the result of hemorrhagic infarction in a pituitary adenoma. The clinical presentation varies widely and includes asymptomatic cases, classical pituitary apoplexy and even sudden death. Cerebral ischemia due to pituitary apoplexy is very rare. It may be caused by vasospasm or direct compression of cerebral vessels by the tumor. We report a case of pituitary apoplexy associated with cerebral infarction and discuss the relationship between the two events.

[Bilateral chronic subdural haematoma: Analysis of a series of 190 patients]. / Hematoma subdural crónico bilateral: análisis de una serie de 190 pacientes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyse the clinical findings and surgical results in a series of patients with bilateral chronic subdural haematoma (BCSDH), and compare the results with a series of patients treated for unilateral chronic subdural haematoma (UCSDH). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on 1523 patients diagnosed and surgically treated for chronic subdural haematoma over a period of 30 years. Patients were divided into 2 groups: The study group consisting of 190 patients operated on for a BCSDH and the control group consisting of patients operated on for an UCSDH (1333 cases). RESULTS: The patient series included 126 males (66.3%) and 64 females (33.7%), with a mean age at diagnosis of 74.8±10.2. The control group consisted of 870 males (65.2%) and 463 women (34.8%), with a mean age of 73.2±12.1. The most common presenting symptoms was cognitive impairment in 63 patients (33.2%) with BCSDH and 416 (29.5%) with UCSDH. Recurrence rates were 9.4% (18 patients) and 5.7% (77 patients) in unilateral and bilateral haematomas, respectively. The mortality was 10 patients (5.2%) with BCSDH and 55(4%) with UCSDH. Factors significantly related to recurrence in the univariate analysis were being male (P=.040), anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy (P=.032), and poor neurological status at admission (P=.039). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that BCSDH is more frequent in males, and the most common presentation is headache. The most important factors influencing recurrences are being male, intake of anticoagulant-antiaggregant drugs, and worse clinical status at admission.

[«De novo¼ development of a suprasellar arachnoid cyst]. / Desarrollo «de novo¼ de un quiste aracnoideo supraselar.

Intracranial arachnoid cysts are fluid-filled cavities that arise within the cranial arachnoid, representing approximately 1%-2% of all intracranial lesions among the paediatric population. We present the case of a 2-year-old boy who presented with instability and episodes of ocular deviation. A computed tomography scan (CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed a suprasellar cyst and obstructive hydrocephalus. At birth a transfontanellar ultrasound was normal. The cyst underwent endoscopic fenestration with complete remission of symptoms. In the review of the literature, we found only 6 previous cases of an intracranial arachnoid cyst whose origin was not clearly congenital or traumatic, and ours is the second case of a suprasellar arachnoid cyst to arise de novo. The clinical features, imaging characteristics and treatment of the previously reported cases are discussed.

Tension pneumocephalus as a result of endonasal surgery: an uncommon intracranial complication.

Tension pneumocephalus (TP) is a clinical entity characterized by continued build-up of air within the cranial cavity, leading to abnormal pressure exerted upon the brain and subsequent neurologic deterioration, due to development of a mass effect and potentially a herniation syndrome. Intracranial complications of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and other endonasal procedures are fortunately very rare, occurring in less than 3% of cases. We report 4 cases of small bone defects (<3 mm) in the anterior cranial base accompanied by TP, caused by ESS and other endonasal procedures. The pathophysiology and management of this clinical entity is discussed with a pertinent literature. Four patients with small (<3 mm) skull base defects were identified. All patients presented with active cerebrospinal fluid leaks. CT scans showed intracranial tension pneumocephalus. Using image-guided endoscopic techniques, all defects were addressed with multi-layer repair. Closure was achieved in all patients on the first attempt, with an average follow-up of 36 months. Tension pneumocephalus is a rare event that can occur as a result of traumatic or iatrogenic violation of the dura and should be considered in all patients presenting with altered mental status after endoscopic sinus surgery or other surgical and diagnostic procedures that violate either the cranial or spinal dura. Because of the potential for rapid clinical deterioration and death, prompt brain imaging is warranted to rule out the diagnosis, and urgent neurosurgical consultation is indicated for definitive management.

[Congenital medulloblastoma associated with intracranial arachnoid cyst]. / Meduloblastoma congénito asociado a quiste aracnoideo intracraneal.

Arachnoid cysts are very common lesions in paediatric patients, with treatment depending on their location and symptomatology. They are usually solitary cysts but may be associated with other central nervous system diseases such as tumours and congenital deformities. We describe the case of a neonate diagnosed with an arachnoid cyst of the quadrigeminal cistern treated by endoscopy. After the operation, the child's condition worsened; a CT scan revealed a midline posterior fossa tumour not visible in the preoperative neuroradiological tests. The tumour, a medulloblastoma, was partially removed. Given the child's age and the poor prognosis, oncological treatment was not undertaken. The association between medulloblastoma and arachnoid cyst is very rare, and we could find only one such case in the literature.

[Bowstringing as a complication of deep brain stimulation]. / Bowstringing como complicación de estimulación cerebral profunda.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established surgical therapy for intractable movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia. As the number of treated patients has increased rapidly, new sets of problems about complications of DBS have arisen. Bowstringing is defined as abnormal tethering of leads between the pulse generators and stimulating electrode, associated with pain and contracture of the neck over the extension cable. We report the case of a 56-year-old woman with a history of advanced Parkinson's disease who had been treated by implantation of a bilateral, subthalamic nucleus, deep brain stimulator. A car accident caused the rupture of the right electrode, which was replaced. Six months after the replacement the patient presented disabling pain and tension in the neck where deep brain extension cables were located. A cervical incision was performed to excise scar tissue. Bowstringing is a rare complication of DBS and although patients sometimes report discomfort and tension in the cervical region, surgical procedures are not normally required.

[Chronic subdural hematoma in young patients]. / Hematoma subdural crónico en pacientes jóvenes.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyse demographic, clinical and radiological findings and surgical results in a series of chronic subdural haematomas (CSDH) in young adult patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 42 patients under 40 years of age who were diagnosed and surgically treated for a CSDH during a 30-year period (1982-2011). RESULTS: Of the 42 cases analysed, 32 were males and 10 were females, and the mean age at diagnosis was 29.3±8.9 years (range: 4 to 39 years). The mean interval from trauma to appearance of clinical symptoms was 33.4±9.7 days (range: 19 to 95 days). The main symptoms were headache (59.5%) and seizures (21.4%), and the most frequent predisposing factors were ventriculoperitoneal shunting in 5 (11.9%) patients and haematological disorders in another 5 (11.9%) cases. CSDH was right-sided in 21 cases (50%), left-sided in 19 cases (45.3%) and bilateral in the remaining 2 patients (4.7%). Postoperative complications occurred in 2 patients (1 recurrence and 1 acute subdural haematoma). CONCLUSIONS: CSDH is a rare pathology during the first decades of life. It mainly affects males and headache is usually the first symptom. Prognosis is good in young patients, since postoperative complications and recurrences are less frequent at this age than in older populations.

Parkinsonism secondary to subdural haematoma.

Parkinsonism consists of several extrapyramidal signs, characterized by tremor, muscle rigidity, and loss of postural reflexes. The most common cause of parkinsonism is idiopathic Parkinson's disease, whereas the secondary forms include drug exposure, trauma, infection, and chronic subdural haematomas. Four patients with parkinsonism out of 1,289 chronic subdural haematomas were admitted to our hospital between 1985 and 2010. Nineteen patients identified in the literature were also included in this revision. Of the 23 cases reviewed (19 men and 4 women; age at diagnosis ranged between 38 and 83 years; mean, 68.8), the interval between initial symptoms and haematoma diagnosis ranged between 1 week and 1 year (mean interval, 8 weeks). The haematoma was unilateral in 13 cases and bilateral in 10 cases. All chronic subdural haematomas were resolved using different surgical techniques with marked improvement following surgery. Parkinsonism is a rare presentation of chronic subdural haematoma. However, the sudden onset of parkinsonisms requires prompt neuroimaging to rule out this potentially reversible aetiology. The prognosis of chronic subdural haematoma-related parkinsonism is favourable after surgical evacuation.

Chiari type I malformation discovered through a glossopharyngeal neuralgia.

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is a rare disease whose initial treatment is pharmacological. When medical therapy is not effective, different surgical options are available including stereotactic radiosurgery, microvascular decompression or nerve section. It is reported a case of a 26-year-old female with glossopharyngeal neuralgia and Chiari malformation. This rare type of neuralgia sometimes is associated with an abnormality of the cranio-cervical junction. It was performed a posterior fossa expansion with duraplasty and microvascular decompression. The patient showed a complete disappearance of the pain, with no need of tonsil resection.

Tension pneumocephalus, an uncommon complication of oxygen therapy in preterm newborns. Presentation of a case and literature review. / Neumoencéfalo a tensión, una extraña complicación del uso de oxígeno en neonatos. Descripción de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

Tension pneumocephalus is an extremely rare complication of positive-pressure ventilation in neonates, the diagnosis of which requires a high degree of clinical suspicion. We present the case of a preterm newborn, who received high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy because of hyaline membrane disease, due to his prematurity, and developed clinical signs of intracranial hypertension. Transfontanellar ultrasound and cranial CT scan revealed significant tension pneumocephalus, which was evacuated with direct needle puncture through the anterior fontanelle.

Desmoplastic infantile and non-infantile ganglioglioma. Review of the literature.

Desmoplastic gangliogliomas (DIG) are rare primary neoplasms that comprise 0.5-1.0% of all intracranial tumors. Clinically, there are two forms of DIG, the infantile and the non-infantile. These tumors invariably arise in the supratentorial region and commonly involve more than one lobe, preferentially the temporal and frontal. On neuroimaging are seen as large hypodense cystic masses with a solid isodense or slightly hyperdense superficial portion. The histologic diagnosis is characterized by the presence of three different cell lines: astrocytic, neuronal, and primitive neuroectodermal marker sites, which were demonstrable. The treatment of choice is radical surgical excision, and if this is done, achieved complete healing of the patient does not require additional treatment. A literature review of DIG was compiled through Medline/Ovid using the keywords "desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma", "desmoplastic non-infantile ganglioglioma" covering the years 1984-2009. We present a review of a total of 113 cases of infantile (94) and non-infantile gangliogliomas (19) published to date, examining the clinical, radiologic, surgical, and pathological aspects, as well as the outcome. Desmoplastic gangliogliomas represent a rare tumor group with two well-defined age groups, the children and non-children. Desmoplastic infantile gangliogliomas are the most common and occur in children below 5 years of age, and the large majority of them present within the first year of life. Surgery is the treatment of choice and no complementary treatment is needed in cases of complete tumor resection.

Lumbar synovial cyst in a adolescence: case report.

BACKGROUND: Spinal extradural cysts are a rare cause of spinal cord or nerve root compression which tends to occur in the elderly but rarely reported in the under 20s. HISTORY: A 14-year-old girl with a 9-month history of left radicular pain was found to have an intraspinal cystic lesion causing radicular compression. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a 1.1-cm extradural cystic lesion with a low signal on T1-weighted images and high signal on T2-weighted images lying in the spinal canal at the L4 vertebral body level. The patient underwent an L4 hemilaminectomy and excision of a synovial cyst, and the radicular pain completely regressed. DISCUSSION: We discuss the pathogenesis, radiological techniques and management of synovial cyst in a paediatric patient CONCLUSION: Intraspinal ganglion cysts are extremely rare in children and only two other cases have been reported previously. They are benign lesions, frequently presenting radiculopathy, and should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients with low back pain and radiculopathy.

Lumbar synovial cyst in an adolescent: case report.

BACKGROUND: Spinal extradural cysts are a rare cause of spinal cord or nerve root compression which tends to occur in the elderly but rarely reported in the under 20s. HISTORY: A 14-year-old girl with a 9-month history of left radicular pain was found to have an intraspinal cystic lesion causing radicular compression. MRI showed a 1.1-cm extradural cystic lesion with a low signal on T1 and high signal on T2-weighted images lying in the spinal canal at the L4 vertebral body level. The patient underwent an L4 hemi-laminectomy and excision of a synovial cyst, and the radicular pain completely regressed. DISCUSSION: We discuss the pathogenesis, radiological techniques, and management of synovial cyst in a pediatric patient. CONCLUSION: Intraspinal ganglion cysts are extremely rare in children and only two other cases have been reported previously. They are benign lesions, frequently presenting radiculopathy, and should be considered in the differential diagnosis, in patients with low back pain and radiculopathy.

Intrathecal baclofen as a treatment for spasticity: Review of the cases treated in our hospital. / Baclofeno intratecal para el tratamiento de la espasticidad: revisión de los casos presentes tratados en nuestro servicio.

INTRODUCTION: Spasticity represents a medical problem whose incidence is increasing during the last years due to pathologies such as cerebral palsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, trauma or encephalopathy, affecting both adults and children. The treatments include rehabilitation, pharmacotherapy and surgery, among which we highlight intrathecal baclofen infusion devices. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Intrathecal baclofen devices implanted patients in Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Compostela from 2005 to 2018 were selected for retrospective analysis using assessment of spasticity scales, such as Ashworth scale. Complications are described. RESULTS: Surgery was performed in 17 patients for baclofen pump implant, achieving an improvement of 2 points on the Ashworth Scale in 88,2% of the patients and of 1 point on the Penn Scale in 94%. Complications were seen in 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Intrathecal baclofen is a simple technique with good results for improving the quality of life of patients with spasticity.

Management of brain abscess in children.

AIM: Brain abscesses continue to pose a problem in paediatric neurosurgery because the associated morbidity and mortality have remained significant throughout the antibiotic and CT era. The objective of this paper is to report the treatment of 28 children with the diagnosis of brain abscess. METHODS: We report our experience with the surgical management of brain abscesses in 28 paediatric patients between 1981 and 2005. The following parameters were assessed: age, gender, clinical manifestations, physical examination, radiological data, aetiological agent, treatment and clinical evolution of the patients. RESULTS: Patients' age varied from 2 weeks to 16 years (mean 8.6 years); 17 were male. The most notable predisposing factor was contiguous infection in 11 cases, of which six were chronic otitis media. The abscess was supratentorial in 27 children with only one infratentorial case. In all patients, treatment consisted of a combination of surgical evacuation and antibiotics. In two children, the evacuation of pus was via transfontanelar puncture. Positive abscess cultures were obtained from 15 abscesses, and gram-negative were the main bacteria involved. Nine patients had neurological sequelae (seizure, cognitive impairment and paresis); two deaths occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Brain abscess in children continues to be associated with high rates of neurological impairment and death.

Neumoencéfalo a tensión, una extraña complicación del uso de oxígeno en neonatos. Descripción de un caso y revisión de la literatura / Tension pneumocephalus, an uncommon complication of oxygen therapy in preterm newborns. Presentation of a case and literature review

El neumoencéfalo a tensión es una complicación extremadamente rara en el uso de la ventilación a presión positiva en el neonato, cuyo diagnóstico requiere un alto grado de sospecha clínica. Presentamos el caso de un recién nacido prematuro, que recibió oxígeno a través de cánulas nasales de alto flujo debido a enfermedad de membrana hialina, propia de su prematuridad, y que desarrolló signos clínicos de hipertensión intracraneal. La ecografía transfontanelar y la TAC craneal pusieron de manifiesto un importante neumoencéfalo a tensión que fue evacuado a través de punción directa a través de la fontanela anterior (AU)

Tension pneumocephalus is an extremely rare complication of positive-pressure ventilation in neonates, the diagnosis of which requires a high degree of clinical suspicion. We present the case of a preterm newborn, who received high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy because of hyaline membrane disease, due to his prematurity, and developed clinical signs of intracranial hypertension. Transfontanellar ultrasound and cranial CT scan revealed significant tension pneumocephalus, which was evacuated with direct needle puncture through the anterior fontanelle (AU)