Impact of histological diagnosis on the treatment of atypical brainstem lesions.

For atypical brainstem lesions, histological diagnosis can have an impact on treatment, especially in cases where diffuse glioma is not found. Since radiotherapy is the only therapeutic modality that has shown clinical and radiographic improvement in patients with diffuse glioma, the misdiagnosis of diffuse glioma can have drastic consequences, particularly in patients with nontumorous lesions. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of histological diagnosis on the treatment of atypical brainstem lesions. This was a retrospective study of 31 patients who underwent biopsy of atypical brainstem lesions. The procedures were performed between January 2008 and December 2018 at the Life Center Hospital and Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. A diagnosis was obtained in 26 (83.9%) cases. Three patients presented complications: one presented bleeding with no clinical repercussions and two showed worsening of neurological deficit, only one of which was definitive. No mortality occurred due to the procedure. The histological diagnosis was diffuse glioma in seven cases (22.6%) and not diffuse glioma in 19 cases (61.3%). Thus, the histological diagnosis had an impact on the treatment of 19 patients (treatment impact rate: 61.3%). The histological diagnosis of intrinsic brainstem lesions is a safe, efficient procedure with a high diagnosis rate, and as such, it should be considered in the management of atypical lesions.

May headache triggered by odors be regarded as a differentiating factor between migraine and other primary headaches?

Objectives The objective of this article is to characterize olfactory stimulation as a trigger of headaches attacks and differentiation between migraine and other primary headaches. Participants and methods The study was prospective and experimental, with comparison of groups. A total of 158 volunteers (73 men and 85 women) were diagnosed with primary headaches, according to the criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, Third Edition (beta version) (ICHD-3ß). The study was conducted by two examiners; one of them was assigned to diagnose the presence and type of primary headache, while the other was responsible for exposing the volunteers to odor and recording the effects of this exposure. Results Of the 158 volunteers with headache, there were 72 (45.6%) cases of migraine and 86 (54.4%) with other primary headaches. In both groups, there were differences in headache characteristics (χ2 = 4.132; p = 0.046). Headache attacks (25/72; 34.7%) and nausea (5/72; 6.9%) were triggered by odor only in patients with migraine, corresponding to 19.0% (30/158) of the sample, but in none with other primary headaches (χ2 = 43.78; p < 0.001). Headache occurred more often associated with nausea ( p = 0.146) and bilateral location ( p = 0.002) in migraineurs who had headache triggered by odor. Headache was triggered after 118 ± 24.6 min and nausea after 72.8 ± 84.7 min of exposure to odor. Conclusions The odor triggered headache attacks or nausea only in migraineurs. Therefore, headache triggered by odors may be considered a factor of differentiation between migraine and other primary headaches and this trigger seems very specific of migraine.