Frameless navigated biopsy with the BrainLAB® VarioGuide system: a technical note.

OBJECTIVE: Implementation of a new neuronavigation system in the department included the opportunity to change the brain biopsy procedures from a frame-based system to a frameless system--the BrainLAB® VarioGuide. We report our first 20 consecutive procedures within 2 years, analyzing the effectiveness of this new tool. PATIENTS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS: 15 men and 5 women with various intracerebral lesions were biopsied. Their average age was 62 years (range, 41-83 years). Preoperative planning was performed using computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data provided by a radiological picture archiving and communication system (PACS) sent to the planning station. Planning was based on either MRI or CT in 14 and 4 cases, respectively, and a combination of both in 2 cases. RESULTS: The lesions had a mean maximal diameter of 42.97 mm (range, 5.8-109.8 mm). 19 lesions were supratentorial, 1 of those intraventricular, and 1 lesion was infratentorial, within the cerebellar peduncle and brainstem. During surgery, the samples were sent to neuropathological examination, and the procedure was completed after confirmation that pathological tissue was obtained. In 18 of 20 cases, definitive pathological tissue was harvested. Histopathology confirmed 8 glioblastomas, 1 oligoastrocytoma, 4 anaplastic astrocytomas, 1 astrocytoma, and 2 primary central nervous system lymphomas, as well as 1 encephalitis and 1 necrotic tissue of unknown origin. In 3 cases, including the case of necrotic tissue, there was no final diagnosis possible. Referencing the BrainLAB® navigation system and software-wizard guided sterile adjustment of the VarioGuide arm over the entry point took 5 to 10 minutes. The mean operation time was 49 minutes (range, 24-69 minutes) including the time until first neuropathological examination was completed. No adverse events occurred during or after the operation.

Skull metastasis of ampulla of Vater adenocarcinoma 5 years after Whipple operation: case report and literature review.

Skull metastases can occur with nearly all types of tumor. They frequently are asymptomatic, causing local swelling, which is usually painless and rarely leads to neurological dysfunction. Carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater is an uncommon tumor accounting for approximately 0.2% of all gastrointestinal malignancies, with an estimated incidence of less than 6 cases per 1,000,000 population per year. We report about an extremely rare case of a 54-year-old female patient with a right frontal skull metastases of an ampulla of Vater adenocarcinoma 5 years after pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy. Literature review revealed only one published case of cranial bone metastases of carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater. To the best of our knowledge this is the first case report of skull metastases of ampullary adenocarcinoma after a symptom-free interval of 5 years after R0 resection of the primary tumor, and the second published case that involves the skull.

The impact of esophagus retraction on early dysphagia after anterior cervical surgery: does a correlation exist?

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study of 92 patients who underwent anterior cervical surgery. Intraoperative esophagus retraction and postoperative dysphagia were recorded and evaluated. OBJECTIVE: Early dysphagia after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is an underestimated side effect. The aim of this study was to investigate whether postoperative swallowing disturbances correlate with the amount of intraoperative retraction of the pharynx/esophagus wall measured during the procedure. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The anterior approach to the cervical spine is a routinely used and, in general, safe procedure. A recent prospective study focused on the underreported side effect of postoperative dysphagia, with an incidence of up to 50% at 1 month and 12.5% at 12 months. The etiology of postoperative dysphagia is not known in detail. METHODS: An online pressure transducer between the retractor and pharynx/esophagus recorded the epi-esophageal pressure in 92 patients. In 31 patients, a transducer was additionally inserted into the pharynx/esophagus in order to measure the endo-esophageal pressure. The patients rated swallowing difficulty during the first postoperative 5 days using a 10-point score. A control group of 32 lumbar surgery patients was also evaluated for swallowing disturbances. RESULTS: Mean epi-esophageal pressure after retractor opening was 76.3 mm Hg, and mean endo-esophageal pressure was 16.3 mm Hg. An adjustment to 75% and 76%, respectively, of the initial value occurred within the first hour. Of patients, 49.3% complained of swallowing disturbances. There was a significant prevalence of the female gender. No correlation between the amount of retraction and postoperative dysphagia was observed. CONCLUSIONS: A correlation between intraoperative pharynx/esophagus retraction and postoperative swallowing disturbances could not be confirmed. The cause of the prevalence of the female gender is unknown. However, the absence of impaired deglutition in the control group suggests that a local phenomenon must be causative of swallowing disturbances following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.