Neurosurgery
-
Case Reports
Type IV spinal arteriovenous malformation in association with familial pulmonary vascular malformations: case report.
Type IVc arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the spinal cord consist of multiple high-flow feeding vessels, and they often present a challenging management situation. Their location is intradural and extramedullary, and they are rare malformations that are difficult to treat owing to the risk of thrombosis of the anterior spinal artery. The authors report a case of Type IVc spinal AVM in a patient with a family history of three siblings with pulmonary AVMs. Spinal AVMs have been reported to be associated with inherited syndromes such as familial cutaneous hemangiomas and Kartagener's syndrome, but an association with pulmonary AVMs has not previously been described. ⋯ The patient remained neurologically stable, and angiography confirmed obliteration of the AVM. This is the first case report of a patient with a spinal AVM who had multiple siblings with pulmonary malformations or AVMs.
-
Patients with third ventricular colloid cysts typically are diagnosed when they develop symptoms related to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obstruction at the foramen of Monro. However, the clinical and neuroimaging characteristics related to symptom development are poorly understood. ⋯ The patient and neuroimaging characteristics of the different patient classes support a theory on the natural history of colloid cysts. Patients with third ventricular colloid cysts become symptomatic when the tumor enlarges rapidly, causing CSF obstruction, ventriculomegaly, and increased intracranial pressure. Some cysts enlarge more gradually, however, allowing the patient to accommodate the enlarging mass without disruption of CSF flow, and the patient remains asymptomatic. In these cases, if the cyst stops growing, the patient can maintain a steady state between CSF production and absorption and may not require neurosurgical intervention.
-
Multicenter Study
A prospective population-based study of pediatric trauma patients with mild alterations in consciousness (Glasgow Coma Scale score of 13-14).
Considerable controversy surrounds the appropriate evaluation of children with mild alterations in consciousness after closed head trauma (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score of 13-14). The objective of the current study was to determine the incidence of intracranial lesions in pediatric patients with a field GCS score of 13 or 14 after closed head injuries. ⋯ Pediatric patients who have mild alterations in consciousness in the field have a significant incidence of intracranial injury. The great majority of these patients will not require operative intervention, but the implications of missing these hemorrhages can be severe for this subgroup of head-injured patients. Because clinical criteria and cranial x-rays are poor predictors of intracranial hemorrhage, it is recommended that all children with a GCS score of 13 or 14 routinely undergo screening via non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography.
-
Biography Historical Article
Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center.
The University of Pennsylvania Medical School was the nation's first medical school, and its Department of Neurosurgery is one of the nation's oldest. The history of the Department of Neurosurgery at Penn is recounted, beginning with the pioneer surgeon Charles Harrison Frazier. The evolution of the current department, its contemporary status, and its residency program are described.
-
Brachytherapy with temporary implants may prolong survival in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), but it is associated with relatively high costs and morbidity. This study reports the time to progression and survival after permanent implantation of iodine-125 seeds for recurrent GBM and examines factors predictive of outcome. ⋯ Permanent iodine-125 implants for recurrent GBM result in survival comparable with that described in previous reports on temporary implants, but with less morbidity. Results are most favorable for patients who are younger than 60 years, and who undergo gross total resection. Despite this aggressive treatment, most patients die as a consequence of locally recurrent disease.