Capacity building for pediatric neuro-oncology in Pakistan- a project by my child matters program of Foundation S.

Introduction: Initiated in June 2019, this collaborative effort involved 15 public and private sector hospitals in Pakistan. The primary objective was to enhance the capacity for pediatric neuro-oncology (PNO) care, supported by a My Child Matters/Foundation S grant. Methods: We aimed to establish and operate Multidisciplinary Tumor Boards (MTBs) on a national scale, covering 76% of the population (185.7 million people). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, MTBs transitioned to videoconferencing. Fifteen hospitals with essential infrastructure participated, holding monthly sessions addressing diagnostic and treatment challenges. Patient cases were anonymized for confidentiality. Educational initiatives, originally planned as in-person events, shifted to a virtual format, enabling continued implementation and collaboration despite pandemic constraints. Results: A total of 124 meetings were conducted, addressing 545 cases. To augment knowledge, awareness, and expertise, over 40 longitudinal lectures were organized for healthcare professionals engaged in PNO care. Additionally, two symposia with international collaborators and keynote speakers were also held to raise national awareness. The project achieved significant milestones, including the development of standardized national treatment protocols for low-grade glioma, medulloblastoma, and high-grade glioma. Further protocols are currently under development. Notably, Pakistan's first pediatric neuro-oncology fellowship program was launched, producing two graduates and increasing the number of trained pediatric neuro-oncologists in the country to three. Discussion: The initiative exemplifies the potential for capacity building in PNO within low-middle income countries. Success is attributed to intra-national twinning programs, emphasizing collaborative efforts. Efforts are underway to establish a national case registry for PNO, ensuring a comprehensive and organized approach to monitoring and managing cases. This collaborative initiative, supported by the My Child Matters/Foundation S grant, showcases the success of capacity building in pediatric neuro-oncology in low-middle income countries. The establishment of treatment protocols, fellowship programs, and regional tumor boards highlights the potential for sustainable improvements in PNO care.

Self-inflicted penetrating brain injuries with preserved neurological function: a case series.

BACKGROUND: Penetrating trauma to the brain is a rare mode of self-harm in individuals with depressive psychosis. It may have variable presentations ranging from intact neurological status to non-survivable damage and the subjects may be surprisingly apathetic to pain. It is even unusual for such an injury to have an excellent prognosis despite coming late to clinical attention. CASE PRESENTATIONS: We report two cases of patients with psychotic depression who attempted suicide by hammering nails into their heads. On imaging, deep penetration within the brain parenchyma was noted; however, neither case had any neurological deficit or symptoms attributable to brain trauma. CONCLUSIONS: Self-inflicted penetrating brain injuries with peculiar objects such as nails are rarely encountered in practice. They need prompt management for their removal and addressing the underlying mental health illnesses.

Bilateral basal ganglia bleed in traumatic brain injury: A case report.

Intracerebral haemorrhage can be classified into traumatic and non-traumatic. Traumatic Basal Ganglia Haemorrhage (TBGH) has been reported in 2.4-3% cases of all closed head injuries whereas the incidence is higher in postmortem studies (9.8%), nevertheless, a bilateral TBGH is an extremely rare entity. According to our search through literature, only 12 case reports of bilateral TBGH have been published previously. A simple bilateral TBGH is rarely seen without any other lesions as it is usually associated with skull fractures, haemorrhages or brainstem injuries, making its incidence more during autopsies. We present a 30-year old male patient who had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) secondary to Road Traffic Accident (RTA) with GCS of 12/15, having no other co-morbids. CT-scan revealed bilateral basal ganglia bleed and the patient improved on conservative management only.

The Satisfactory Surgical Outcome of Posterior Fossa Brain Tumors in Children at Civil Hospital, Karachi.

INTRODUCTION: Posterior fossa brain tumor is the most devastating forms of human illness, primarily because of the limited space within the posterior fossa, the potential involvement of vital brain stem nuclei, and the mass effect causes obstructive hydrocephalus. Posterior fossa tumors are more common in children than adults. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: To find out the satisfactory surgical outcome of posterior fossa brain tumors in children at Civil hospital, Karachi. MATERIALS AND METHODS AND DURATION OF STUDY SETTING: This prospective observational, case series study was conducted from February 2015 to February 2105 in the Department of neurosurgery, Dow University of Health Sciences, Civil Hospital, Karachi, Karachi. Postoperative patients with the diagnosis of posterior fossa tumor were enrolled in the study. Detailed history, physical examination, anthropometrics, and biochemical measurements were recorded. Magnetic resonance imaging was done to determine the satisfactory surgical outcome. Patients were followed up at the third postoperative month to determine the satisfactory surgical outcome. RESULTS: Seventy-one patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria, the mean ± standard deviation age of the study population was 6.63 ± 3.181 years. 29 (40.8%) were <7 years of age and 42 (59.2%) were of age 7 years and above. 50 (70.4%) were males and 21 (29.6%) were females. 49 (69%) patients presented with vomiting. 34 (47.9%) presented with seizures. (40.8%) had papilledema. (25.4%) presented with hemiparesis. 8 (11.3%) had meningismus. On analysis of the frequency of outcome variables (80.3%) achieved the satisfactory surgical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: There has been no major study to determine satisfactory surgical outcome in postoperative patients with posterior fossa brain tumor in our population. The study was to provide local data in our population and compare it to the international data. This may help in proper patient management. Majority of the patients had satisfactory surgical outcome. The absence of papilledema, hemiparesis, and meningismus had more chances of satisfactory surgical outcome.

Cervical chordoma involving C3/C4: A case report.

Chordoma is a rare, indolent but locally invasive, osteolytic, slow growing, low grade, primary bone malignancy, derived from the embryonic remnants of the notochord. It is a midline tumour and it predominantly emerges from the axial skeleton. The most commonly observed location of a chordoma is in the sacrococcygeal region ( 50 to 55% ) followed by the cranio occipital region ( 25 to 30% )We present a case of a 30 years old lady who came to us with complaints of difficulty in walking and inability to hold objects in both hands. MRI showed collapse of C3 and C4 vertebral bodies with a large mass extending into paravertebral tissues and causing spinal cord compression. A preamble diagnosis of a chordoma at level of C3-C4 spine was made, a biopsy done to confirm the diagnosis of a chordoma and surgical excision was carried out. No recurrences or metastasis were noted in a follow up at 6 month post operatively.