Hydatid cyst of the brainstem: The rarest of the rare locations for echinococcosis.

Hydatidosis, caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus, is a zoonotic disease typically affecting the liver and lungs. Cerebral localizations are rare, especially in the brainstem. We present a case of a 9-year-old boy with a brainstem hydatid cyst. The patient exhibited progressive walking difficulties and limb impairment. MRI revealed a brainstem mass consistent with a hydatid cyst. Due to the lesion's size and location, surgical intervention was necessary. The cyst was decompressed and removed without complications, followed by albendazole treatment. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, and the patient showed no signs of recurrence after 2 years. This case highlights the importance of early diagnosis, precise surgical techniques, and thorough postoperative care in managing rare cerebral hydatid cysts.

Recurrent subcutaneous metastasis of a convexity meningioma: a case report and literature review.

Subcutaneous metastasis in the operative route after intracranial meningioma resection is extremely rare. Here we describe the case of a 69-year-old male who was operated on in our department for a convexity meningioma that spread a few years after surgery in the soft tissues next to the craniotomy site. Twenty-one other cases have been found in the medical literature. In this article, we discuss mechanisms of growth, presentation and management of subcutaneous meningiomas.

Pediatric Intracranial Anaplastic Gangliogliomas: Illustrative Case and Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: We present an illustrative case of pediatric intracranial anaplastic ganglioglioma and systematically reviewed the current reported data of anaplastic ganglioglioma in the pediatric population. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search for our review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and Embase databases. The search terms included "ganglioglioma," "anaplastic," "pediatrics," "children," and "intracranial." We used no limitations for date, type, or language. Reports of pediatric patients (age <19 years) with intracranial anaplastic gangliogliomas were included. Baseline patient demographic characteristics, clinical presentations, imaging characteristics, management strategies, and outcomes data were extracted. RESULTS: We included 24 studies involving 34 patients in the quantitative synthesis. The mean patient age was 9.18 ± 5.46 years (range, 0.16-18). A male predominance was observed (approximate male/female ratio, 1.61:1). Increased intracranial pressure was the most common symptom (n = 19; 55%), followed by seizures (n = 11; 32%). These tumors were most often found in the supratentorial compartment (n = 26; 76%). All 34 patients had undergone surgical removal. The mean follow-up was 22.2 months (range, 2-72). The mean overall survival duration was 43 months (95% confidence interval, 32.45%-55.31%; 1- and 3-year overall survival, 76.6% and 45.5%, respectively). The median event-free survival was 34 months (95% confidence interval, 10.6%-57.3%; 1- and 3-year event-free survival rate, 76.6% and 42.4%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our results contribute to our understanding of the characteristics of this rare malignant tumor and show that anaplastic ganglioglioma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intracranial tumors in pediatric patients.

Spinal epidural angiolipomas: Clinical characteristics, management and outcomes.

PURPOSE: The spinal epidural angiolipomas are rare expansive processes made of mature lipomatous and angiomatous elements. They often have a benign character. Their etiology, pathogenesis remains uncertain, and it is a cause of spinal cord compression. The magnetic resonance imaging is the most important neuroradiological examination. Histological examination is the only examination to confirm the diagnosis. Surgery is the treatment of choice. METHODS: A retrospective study of all patients operated on for a spinal epidural angiolipoma at the Department of Neurosurgery at the National Institute of Neurology of Tunis between January 2000 and December 2014 (15 years) was performed. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical, radiological, histological characteristics and the treatment of this tumor. RESULTS: A total of nine patients were operated from January 01, 2000 to November 30, 2014. The average age of our patients was 51 years with ages that ranged from 29 to 65 with a male predominance. The period between onset of symptoms and diagnosis ranged from 24 months with an average 12 months. Posterior localization of the tumor was seen in all patients. Surgical resection was performed for all cases. The postoperative course has been satisfactory, with a complete recovery of neurological functions in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The spinal epidural angiolipomas is rare expansive process causing spinal cord compression. Treatment is exclusively surgical resection. The functional outcome of spinal epidural angiolipomas is particularly favorable with a complete neurological recovery is if the patient was quickly operated.

Intradural Extramedullary Capillary Hemangioma in the Upper Cervical Spine: First Report.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of intradural extramedullary capillary hemangiomas is exceedingly rare. To date, only 39 cases of intradural extramedullary capillary hemangiomas have been reported in the English literature, and all of these cases have been described at the lumbar and thoracic spinal levels. To our knowledge, this report is the first case of capillary hemangiomas of the cervical spine in the literature. In general, this entity is misdiagnosed preoperatively as a neoplasm. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 29-year-old man presented with neck pain and progressive gait disturbance, and was diagnosed with an intradural extramedullary capillary hemangioma in the cervical region. CONCLUSIONS: Although rare, our case demonstrates that capillary hemangioma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intradural extramedullary tumor of the cervical spine.

Secondary Chondrosarcoma of the Upper Thoracic Costovertebral Junction with Neural Foraminal Extension and Compressing the Spinal Cord.

BACKGROUND: Chondrosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor of bone. This family of tumors can be primary malignant tumors or a secondary malignant transformation of an underlying benign cartilage tumor. Secondary chondrosarcoma arising from a benign solitary costal osteochondroma is extremely rare. Data show that the reported incidence of costal osteochondroma is very low and they are usually found in the anterior region at the costochondral junction. To our knowledge, however, there have been no previous reports, in English literature, describing osteochondroma malignant transformation located in the thoracic costovertebral junction. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report the case of a man with chondrosarcoma arising from the malignant degeneration of an osteochondroma at the right first thoracic costovertebral junction with neural foraminal extension and compressing the spinal cord. CONCLUSIONS: Although it is rare in solitary osteochondromas of rib, malignant transformation must always be considered.

Temporal Dermoid Cyst with Unusual Imaging Appearance: Case Report.

Intracranial dermoid cysts are benign, slow growing tumors derived from ectopic inclusions of epithelial cells during closure of neural tube. These lesions, accounting for less than 1% of intracranial tumors, have characteristic computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearances that generally permits preoperative diagnosis. However, the radiologic features are uncommon and the cyst can be easily misdiagnosed with other tumors in rare cases. Herein, we report a case of a left temporoparietal dermoid cyst in a 48-year-old woman that was peroperatively and histopathologically proven but not advocated on CT and MRI. Clinical, radiological and histopathological features of a dermoid cyst are reviewed.