Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria
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We describe the case of a 28-year-old man with a giant congenital melanocytic nevus (GCMN) with malignant transformation to melanoma and metastasis on the central nervous system (CNS). We also make a summary of the pathological features from both lesions (GCMN and Melanoma), the occurrence of malignancy of GCMN, the organs more frequently involved with metastatic melanoma--with emphasis to involvement of CNS--just as the factors that cause malignant transformation of GCMN; the methods to diagnose metastases in CNS--emphasizing the importance of cerebrospinal fluid--and some therapeutical modalities for the metastatic melanoma in CNS.
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Literature on the anatomy of the human vertebral column characterizes the shape of the lumbar vertebral canal as triangular. The purpose of the present study was to determine the precise shape of the lumbar vertebral canal. Ten lumbar vertebral columns of adult male cadavers were dissected. ⋯ Thus, the shape of the human lumbar vertebral canal is not exclusively triangular, as reported in the literature. It is related to the level of the transversal section performed on the lumbar vertebra. This finding should be taken into consideration among factors involved in the spread of solutions introduced into the epidural space.