Motor outcome after resective surgery for the central lobe gliomas.

Background: Extent of resection (EOR) plays a major role in the prognosis on patients with gliomas, although the postoperative functionality of the patient is of great importance as well. It is why many surgeons advocate to not operate extensively on tumors that involve eloquent regions such as the central lobe. Recent series have demonstrated that it is possible to achieve extensive resections in this area without significantly affecting the functional outcome for these patients. We illustrate this issue with the experience obtained at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City. Methods: This is an observational and retrospective study that included patients that received surgical resection for intracranial gliomas that involved the central lobe at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery of Mexico, between January 2017 and May 2020. Demographic and clinical variables of the patients at the time of diagnosis were collected as well as tumor morphological variables, surgical adjuncts, and clinical outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software. Results: A total of 28 patients were included in the study with 43% of patients having a motor deficit before surgery. The average EOR was 88.6%. Patients presented with worsening of their motor status in the immediate postoperative period in 21% of the cases, although most of the patients recovered within the 1st month of follow-up. After analyzing all variables, not having a presurgical motor deficit was a statistically significant risk factor for developing a new motor deficit in the immediate postoperative period (P: 0.02). Conclusion: A resective surgery for gliomas near or within the central lobe can be performed safely and a satisfactory motor outcome for patients can be achieved without sacrificing the EOR. An intact presurgical motor status is a risk factor for developing a new deficit after surgery.

Decompressive craniectomy: A salvage treatment for patients with central nervous system tumors.

BACKGROUND: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) has been used for the treatment of refractory increased intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients with brain trauma and stroke; its beneficial role is still a matter of debate. Little has been written on the role of DC in the setting of patients with intracranial tumors. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our institutional tumor registry for all adult patients treated with a DC as an emergency treatment between January 2012 and June 2019. RESULTS: A total of 61 patients were taken into surgery for a DC secondary to raised ICP related to a central nervous system tumor. The Kaplan-Meier curves in the study showed that 18.9 months was the mean survival time (MST) of the global population, 40 patients died (65.5%) during the follow-up period. Patients in the group of over 60 years had a worst survival time than younger patients (p = 0.01). Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage had the worst MST compared with the patients with other etiologies (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Our data show that in some selected cases DC is a viable option as a salvage treatment for patients with intracranial tumors.

ANTECEDENTES: la craniectomía Descompresiva (CD) se ha utilizado para el tratamiento del aumento de la presión intracraneal en pacientes con traumatismo cerebral y accidente cerebrovascular; su papel beneficioso sigue siendo un tema de debate. Poco se ha escrito sobre el papel de la CD en el contexto de pacientes con tumores intracraneales. MÉTODOS: Revisamos retrospectivamente nuestro registro institucional de tumores para todos los pacientes adultos tratados con craniectomía descompresiva como tratamiento de emergencia entre enero de 2012 y junio de 2019. RESULTADOS: Un total de 61 pacientes fueron llevados a cirugía por una CD secundaria a elevación de ICP secundario a un tumor del sistema nervioso central. Las curvas de Kaplan-Meyer mostraron que 18.9 meses fue el tiempo medio de supervivencia de la población global, 40 pacientes murieron (65.5%) durante el período de seguimiento. Los pacientes del grupo de más de 60 años tuvieron un peor tiempo de supervivencia que los pacientes menores (p = 0,01). Los pacientes con hemorragia intracerebral tuvieron la peor sobrevida en comparación con los pacientes con otras etiologías (p = 0,04). CONCLUSIÓN: Nuestros datos muestran que en algunos casos seleccionados, la CD es una opción viable como tratamiento de rescate para pacientes con tumores intracraneales.

C-methionine-PET-guided Gamma Knife radiosurgery boost as adjuvant treatment for newly diagnosed glioblastomas.

BACKGROUND: The most common glial tumor is the glioblastoma, and the prognosis remains dismal despite a multimodal therapeutic approach. The role of radiosurgery for the treatment of glioblastomas has been evaluated in several studies with some benefit at the recurrent stage. We evaluate the results of the protocol administered at the Gamma Knife unit administering radiosurgery as a boost to metabolic active parts of the tumor after the patient had completed traditional external beam radiotherapy (XBRT) as part of the Stupp protocol for high-grade gliomas. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of seven patients with newly diagnosed glioblastomas who were treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery as a boost after receiving XBRT as part of the Stupp protocol. The target of radiation was determined according to the findings of the C-methionine PET scan in relation to magnetic resonance images. The primary end point of this study was to determine the progression-free survival (PFS) from the time of diagnosis. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 48.8 years and the mean Karnofsky performance score was 92.8%. The median PFS was 12.4 months. No radiation adverse effects were documented. CONCLUSION: Stereotactic radiosurgery is safe to use in the upfront treatment for these patients and appears to have a beneficial role in improving the PFS. This beneficial role seems to be conditioned not only by the time the treatment is administered but also where the radiation dose is targeted to.

The Thalamic Arteriovenous Malformations Have Better Prognosis than Basal Ganglia Malformations Regarding Obliteration: Prognostic Factors Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are rare vascular congenital lesions that affect mainly patients during their productive years of life. In order to obtain a better quality of life for patients with this disease, a multidisciplinary approach is recommended. Radiosurgery is one of the treatment modalities available for AVMs, but many factors may influence the effectiveness of this strategy. Classically, it has been said that deep-seated lesions have a particular behavior compared with AVMs in other regions, but a differentiation between thalamic lesions and those located in the basal ganglia has not been made. METHODS: Institutional records for central core AVMs treated with radiosurgery between January 2004 and January 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Brainstem lesions were excluded from the analysis. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients with deep-seated AVMs were included. Forty-three (87.8%) were located in the thalamus and 6 (12.2%) in the area of basal ganglia. The nidus mean volume was 4.1 cm3 (SD: 4.1), the maximum diameter mean was of 19.5 mm (SD: 8.0). The prescription dose was 18.2 Gy (SD: 2.1), and the follow-up time was 75.8 months (SD: 32.5). There was a greater obliteration rate in thalamic AVMs compared with those located in the basal ganglia: 81.4% versus 33.3% (P = 0.026), respectively. There was no association between categorical variables and obliteration rate. CONCLUSIONS: Stereotactic radiosurgery is a good option for patients with thalamic and basal ganglia AVMs, but a multidisciplinary approach to decision-making is mandatory in order to achieve the best results.

The Role of Neoadjuvant Therapy to Improve the Extent of Resection in "Unresectable" Gliomas.

BACKGROUND: Surgical resection plays a pivotal role in the management of glial tumors and a greater extent of resection (EOR) should be the goal in most surgeries to improve overall survival. Many factors may limit the EOR. A potential role for preoperative chemotherapy to decrease the volume and/or infiltration of gliomas, thereby facilitating a safe radical resection, has been recently suggested. This review aims to provide an overview of the current state of neoadjuvant therapy in the field of glioma surgery. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines to identify articles of low- and high-grade gliomas that received neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to surgery to improve the EOR from 2000 to 2020. Full-text articles that addressed this subject were included for evaluation. RESULTS: Case reports and clinical trials have been published for the use of chemotherapy as a neoadjuvant therapy to improve surgical resection in low-grade gliomas. More scarce information exists regarding this strategy for high-grade glioma surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has played a role in overcoming obstacles that limit the EOR in patients with complex gliomas, especially low-grade gliomas.

Analysis of Intraoperative Seizures During Bipolar Brain Mapping in Eloquent Areas: Intraoperative Seizures in brain mapping.

OBJECTIVES: Awake Craniotomy (AC) is a very well described technique that is performed to make an adequate tumor resection preserving the functionality of the patient. Intraoperative Seizures (IS) are reported as a failure of such procedure. We analyze the incidence and risk factor during AC. METHODS: We made a review of the database of the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery between January 2017 and May 2019 for intrinsic tumors located in eloquent areas of the brain. An analysis of ISconcerning the clinical history, clinical presentation, imaging techniques, histological findings and surgical technique was made. The factors associated with Mapping Failure (MF) were also evaluated. RESULTS: 45 patients were included of whom 7 patients (15.6%) developed IS after cortical-subcortical stimulation, 5 presented partial motor seizures (11.1%) and 2 experimented generalized secondary seizures (4.5%). Of the patients that had a MF, one patient (14%) was due to generalized tonic-clonic seizures which couldn't be managed by cold saline irrigation and administration of anti-seizures drugs and was then converted to a general anesthetic technique. We observed that the patients that had a bigger tumoral volume (112.2 cm3 85.3, P = 0,07) had a bigger positive relation in presenting IS, having a peak sensibility and specificity above 70 cc (ROC). CONCLUSIONS: In our analysis IS are more common in patients with high presurgical tumor volume. Even though the majority of the patients that presented IS didn't develop MF, it is important to acknowledge that the multidisciplinary group in the operating room must be prepared to detect these complications, treat them promptly and avoid MF.

Hernia medular transdural idiopática: presentación de dos casos y revisión de la literatura / Idiopathic transdural medullary hernia: presentation of two cases and review of the literature

INTRODUCCIÓN: la Hernia Medular Transdural Idiopática es una causa poco frecuente de mielopatía progresiva con presentación clínica variable, el diagnóstico se hace frecuentemente con una imagen de Resonancia Magnética. El manejo es principalmente quirúrgico con buenos resultados generalmente. CASOS CLÍNICOS: se presenta el caso de una paciente de sexo femenino de 57 años con cuadro de un año de evolución con parestesias en las extremidades y debilidad del hemicuerpo derecho, el diagnóstico de Hernia Medular Transdural Idiopática se hizo con imágenes de Resonancia Magnética y con una Mielografía por TAC. En el segundo caso una paciente de 46 años con dolor cervical y parestesias en los miembros inferiores. Los estudios con Resonancia Magnética demostraron una Hernia Medular Transdural. En los dos casos dado que no presentaban síntomas limitantes ni progresivos se decidió manejo conservador. CONCLUSIÓN: la Hernia Medular Transdural es una patología que se debe considerar como diagnóstico diferencial en los pacientes con clínica de compromiso medular progresivo, el diagnóstico adecuado y el manejo oportuno puede beneficiar a los pacientes otorgándoles un buen pronóstico

INTRODUCTION: idiopathic spinal cord herniation (ISCH) is an infrequent cause of progressive myelopathy with a variable clinical presentation. As such, the diagnosis is frequently made by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Treatment is largely surgical with generally good outcomes. CASE REPORTS: we present two cases. The first was a 57-year old female with a year-long history of numbness in all extremities and weakness in the right side of her body, in whom the diagnosis of ISCH was made by MRI and CT myelography. The second patient was a 46-year old female with neck pain and lower limb paresthesia. Additional MRI studies revealed ISCH. Due to the non-progressive nature of symptoms, conservative management was provided to both patients. CONCLUSION: idiopathic spinal cord herniation is a pathology that must be considered among differential diagnoses in patients with clinical evidence of progressive spinal compromise. An accurate diagnosis and prompt treatment often leads to a good clinical outcome