Surgery for pharmacoresistant epilepsy in the developing world: A pilot study.

Epilepsy prevalence in the developing world is many fold that found in developed countries. For individuals whose conditions failed to respond to pharmacotherapy, surgery is the only opportunity for cure. In Uganda, we developed a center for treatment of intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (iTLE) that functions within the technologic and expertise constraints of a severely low resource area. Our model relies on partnership with epilepsy professionals and training of local staff. Patients were prescreened at regional clinics for iTLE. Individuals meeting inclusion criteria were referred to the treating Ugandan hospital (CURE Children's' Hospital of Uganda, CCHU) for video-EEG (electroencephalography), computed tomography (CT) imaging, and neuropsychological evaluation. Data were transferred to epilepsy experts for analysis and treatment recommendations. Ten patients were diagnosed with iTLE and surgically treated at CCHU. Six (60%) were seizure free, and there was no neurologic morbidity or mortality. Our model for surgical treatment of pharmacoresistant TLE has functioned successfully in a true developing world low resource setting.

Sentinel node mapping and ductal carcinoma in situ.

BACKGROUND: Pure ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is typically unassociated with a risk of regional lymph node involvement. Retrospective series maintain that larger tumors or high-grade histopathology may harbor a risk of lymph node involvement. PURPOSE: Our community hospital retrospectively reviewed a series wherein women with DCIS were subjected to sentinel lymph node biopsy based on large tumor size and/or high-grade histopathology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 232 consecutive women with a diagnosis of pure DCIS were evaluated independently by two breast surgeons, one who typically offers sentinel node mapping to patients with tumors larger than 10 mm and the other who offers sentinel node mapping to women with grade 3 tumors. 60 women (26%) underwent sentinel node mapping along with appropriate surgery directed to the breast. Women were offered risk-adjusted adjuvant radiotherapy and anti-endocrine therapy. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 18 months (range 6-132 months), 9 women (15%) were identified with regional axillary nodal disease. A statistical analysis was conducted between women who did or did not undergo sentinel node mapping because there was overlap in large tumor size and high grade between the two groups. A univariate logistic regression statistic showed a trend toward a significant relationship between grade 3 tumors and a risk of occult nodal involvement. This was not confirmed by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In our moderate-sized surgical experience evaluating women with pure DCIS who underwent a sentinel node mapping due to large tumor size or high grade histology, we were unable to confirm that either is predictive of occult node involvement.

Malignant optic nerve glioma (glioblastoma multiforme): A case report and literature review.

Primary gliomas of the optic nerve are very rare. We report a case of a 59-year-old male with sudden vision loss diagnosed with malignant optic nerve glioblastoma multiforme. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed thickening of optic tracts, chiasm, and hypothalamus. Histologically, the tumor was composed of glial cells with pleomorphic nuclei and areas of vascular proliferation and necrosis. The patient died eight weeks after initial presentation. In addition to our case, 30 previously reported cases of malignant optic nerve glioma are reviewed.

Melanocytic colonization of a meningothelial meningioma: histopathological and ultrastructural findings with immunohistochemical and genetic correlation: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Melanocytic colonization of nonpigmented extracranial tumors has been reported in adenocarcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, skin appendage tumors, and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. To our knowledge, melanocytic colonization of a meningioma has not previously been described. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report an unusual case of a 70-year-old African-American woman who presented with a large frontoparietal meningioma that extended through the calvarium. INTERVENTION: Craniotomy with gross total resection of the tumor was performed. Histochemistry, immunocytochemistry, ultrastructural analysis, and molecular genetic study via fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed melanocytic colonization of a meningothelial meningioma. CONCLUSION: With the inclusion of meningothelial meningioma, the spectrum of tumors affected by melanocytic colonization continues to expand.

Wernicke encephalopathy in nonalcoholic patients.

BACKGROUND: Wernicke encephalopathy is associated with patients that have a history of alcohol abuse and other malnourished states. However, clinicians may be less likely to recognize this condition in nonalcoholic patients. This study was undertaken to evaluate the cause, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of nonalcoholic patients with Wernicke encephalopathy. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of all cases of Wernicke disease from 1984 to 1999 evaluated at a rural university hospital. Inclusion criteria consisted of patients diagnosed clinically with this disorder who improved after the administration of thiamin. Patients were also included in the series if they had classic pathologic findings of the disease on autopsy even without a prior clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: Twelve patients were identified. Alcohol abuse was noted in only 50%. The patients without a history of alcohol abuse had other malnourished states, such as end-stage cancer, intractable vomiting after gastric reduction procedure, and prolonged hospital courses on intravenous fluids without other sources of nutrition. The mortality rate was 4 of 12 (33%) but due to multiple causes. Autopsies were performed on all 4 patients. Three of these 4 patients had no history of alcohol abuse. Two of the nonalcoholic patients were not diagnosed until autopsy, whereas all the patients with a history of alcohol abuse were diagnosed clinically. DISCUSSION: Our study reveals that Wernicke encephalopathy continues to be a rare but life-threatening condition often overlooked in the nonalcoholic population, resulting in the further progression of an easily treatable condition.

Infiltrating orbital astrocytic proliferation associated with congenitally malformed eyes.

This report describes the clinical and pathologic findings in two adults with orbital infiltration by astrocytic cells associated with congenitally malformed eyes. Both cases had enlarging orbital masses and underwent complete resection. Histopathology revealed proliferation of astrocytes (fibrillary acidic protein-positive) that invaded the orbital tissues. To the best of our knowledge, there are no similar cases in the literature.