Does serum osmolarity change as a result of the reflex neuroprotective mechanism of cerebral osmo-regulation after minor head trauma?

OBJECTIVE

It is well known that changes in cerebral hemodynamics occur after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Osmo-regulation in the brain is important for maintaining a constant milieu in the central nervous system. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, early osmolarity changes after minor head injury have not been studied until now.

METHODS

In this study, serum osmolarity was measured in 99 patients with minor head trauma. As a control group, blood samples were drawn from 99 patients who had a minor trauma in an extremity. Serum osmolarity was estimated using a fully automatic biochemical autoanalyzer within the first 3 hours after the trauma.

RESULTS

The mean serum osmolarity levels were 286.08+/-10.17 mOsm/L in the study group and 290.94+/-5.65 mOsm/L in the control group (p<0.001). However, after age adjustment between the study and control groups, this statistical significance was found to be valid only for patients over 30 years of age.

CONCLUSION

It was noted that serum osmolarity levels decrease in the first 3 hours following minor head trauma in patients over 30 years of age. Further studies into this area could provide guidance for the management/treatment of elderly patients.

[Making the differential diagnosis between pituitary apoplexy and craniopharyngioma]

Pituitary apoplexy is characterized by an abrupt neurological deteriorating condition associated with rapid expansion of the pituitary gland, caused by ischemic necrosis and hemorrhage. Craniopharyngioma may be difficult to distinguish from pituitary apoplexy. In this study, we discuss a case of pituitary apoplexy in a 19-year-old male patient. In our patient, the tumor was confused with a craniopharyngioma because of the suprasellar extension of the tumor on magnetic resonance (MR) images and the hyperintensity in T1-weighted images, the young age of the patient, and the gradually progressive onset of the symptoms. In conclusion, even without a known history of pituitary adenoma or an abrupt onset of the clinical symptoms, the diagnosis of pituitary apoplexy should be considered in a patient with a suprasellar mass hyperintensity in T1-weighted MR images, which may mimic craniopharyngioma.

Unilateral partial hemilaminectomy in the removal of a large spinal ependymoma

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

Although the hemilaminectomy technique is known to neurosurgeons performing spinal surgery, laminectomy traditionally has been used during spinal canal surgery for extirpation of spinal cord tumors.

PURPOSE

Although the technique of unilateral partial hemilaminectomy is familiar in its various permutations to surgeons, its application in the spinal tumor surgery has been rarely reported. The aim of this study was to review the literature about the management of spinal cord ependymomas and to discuss the major controversies in treatment.

STUDY DESIGN

Case report.

PATIENT SAMPLE

A 52-year-old man.

METHODS

The 52-year-old man complained of backache and leg pain bilaterally, dominant on the left side. Spinal magnetic resonance images revealed an intradural mass at the T12-L2 level. A left unilateral hemilaminectomy of the T12-L1 and L2 was performed with the help of high-speed air drills under microscopic magnification and a midline incision was made on the dura. The tumor was totally removed.

RESULTS

By using microsurgical techniques and with the help of high-speed drills, a unilateral approach to the intramedullary tumors proved itself to be a safe and easy method in this case. It protected the posterior supporting elements and also permitted the surgeon to manipulate the intradural contralateral side easily. The only difficulty during the operation was the suturing of the dural sac.

CONCLUSIONS

This case report emphasizes the need to consider the hemilaminectomy technique in spinal tumor surgery.

A prospective and comparative study of referrals to neurosurgeons in an emergency department: does use of guidelines for head trauma affect the assessment made by non-neurosurgeons?

BACKGROUND

Restriction of the direct admission of all head-injured patients to the neurosurgical unit remains common practice in many parts of the world. This study was conducted to assess if the initial neurological examination of patients with a head trauma and their management are adequately performed before the referrals and also to determine whether strict use of guidelines for the management of patients with head injuries can be effective.

METHODS

The referrals of head-injured patients from different doctors in the emergency department to the same neurosurgeon were assessed prospectively in two separate 6-month periods: the period before training of the non-neurosurgeon physicians on the selection of cases that require a neurosurgical intervention and the period after training.

RESULTS

The first part of study showed that initial neurological examination of patients with a head trauma and their management were not performed correctly by the non-neurosurgeon physicians. However, the second study period showed that non-neurosurgeon physicians performed a more accurate selection of patients requiring a neurosurgical intervention after receiving systematic neurosurgical training for at least 6 months.

CONCLUSION

In hospitals where there are no specialist trauma surgeons, neurosurgeons should train non-neurosurgeons regarding the accurate selection of neurosurgical cases that need an emergency intervention. In this training, use of guidelines for the management of head injuries is very effective.

Pediatric intramedullary teratomas

Teratomas account for 3% of all childhood tumors, with the majority occurring in the sacrococcygeal region and in the ovary. Intradural spinal teratomas are extremely rare dysembryogenetic tumors. Spinal cord teratomas may be extradural, intradural or intramedullary. Intramedullary ones are the least frequently seen. We have extensively reviewed the literature for intramedullary spinal cord teratomas in children. Although an intramedullary teratoma of the conus medullaris in children is a rare entity, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of masses involving the conus medullaris.

The shrinking of an anterior sacral meningocele in time following transdural ligation of its neck in a case of the Currarino triad

In this paper we present an adult patient with the Currarino triad, associated with six habitual abortuses and chronic constipation. Our aim is to report the effectiveness of a simple surgical technique in the treatment of anterior sacral meningocele in the Currarino Syndrome. The presentation of the Currarino Syndrome in adulthood is extremely uncommon. We performed a posterior procedure via lumbar and sacral partial laminectomy and transdural ligation of the neck of the meningocele mass. There were no additional neurological deficits and no recurrence of the presacral mass over the 2-year follow up period. When an adult female with habitual abortus and chronic constipation is seen, the possible presence of the Currarino Triad should be investigated and treated. The anterior sacral meningocele in a case of the Currarino Triad regresses over time following transdural ligation of its neck.

Pioneering Turkish neurosurgeon Hami Dilek and the traces of Harvey Cushing's legacy in his work

Hami Dilek trained in neurosurgery under Clovis Vincent and Thierry de Martel, pioneers of French neurosurgery who ranked among Harvey Cushing's most loyal admirers. Taking cues from Cushing and the giants of French neurosurgery, Dilek became the first surgeon to practice neurosurgery regularly in Turkey during the 1930s. In 1949, Dilek founded the first independent Turkish department of neurosurgery in Istanbul, and in 1951 he initiated resident training in neurosurgery. Both Cushing and Dilek started out as general surgeons and then became fascinated by the brain and spine. Also, they both single-handedly developed a new specialty where one did not exist before. Further similarities between Dilek and Cushing are also revealed in Dilek's delightful surgical and anatomical drawings. Dilek played an important role in the establishment and development of modern Turkish neurosurgery, and his life story highlights the fact that Cushing's legacy strongly influenced Turkish neurosurgery in the first half of the 20th century.

A pioneering female neurosurgeon: Dr. Aysima Altinok

This article will look at how one female neurosurgeon in Turkey made her mark in the field. In 1954, Dr. Aysima Altinok began her residency training in neurosurgery at Haydarpaşa Numune Hospital where the first official department of neurosurgery in Turkey had been founded five years earlier. On November 22, 1959, she successfully completed her training and was certified officially as a neurosurgeon. Hence, Dr. Altinok was a leader in neurosurgery. Dr. Altinok was the chief of the department of neurosurgery from 1968 to 1992 at Bakirköy Mental and Psychological Health Hospital in Istanbul. She was among the founders of the Turkish Neurosurgical Society in 1968 and was awarded the honour of "Medical Doctor of the Year in Turkey" by the Ministry of Health in 1990. On May 15, 1996, she was accepted as an honorary member of Turkish Society of Neurosurgery for her contributions to neurosurgery. For proving the capability of a woman as a neurosurgeon, her contribution to the world history of neurosurgery should be respected.

Nocardial cerebral abscess associated with mycetoma, pneumonia, and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis

Nocardial brain abscesses remain a clinical challenge. We successfully treated a patient with nocardial brain abscess, mycetoma, pneumonia, and glomerulonephritis. Nocardial soft tissue involvement, mycetoma, is well known. However, the fact that actinomycetoma can metastasize may not be as well appreciated. The association between nocardiosis and glomerulonephritis should be better clarified.

Microsurgery in the removal of a large cerebral hydatid cyst: technical case report

OBJECTIVE

Surgery is presently the mainstay in the treatment of cerebral hydatid cysts, but removal without perforation of the cyst wall is critical. The Dowling-Orlando technique has been the main surgical choice for the intact removal of intracranial hydatid cysts. Dowling described his technique in 1929, well before the introduction of the microscope in neurosurgery. Using the operating microscope has not been reported in the removal of a large hydatid cyst.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

The case of a 16-year-old male with a large, right parieto-occipital hydatid cyst is presented.

INTERVENTION

In this case, surgery was greatly aided by the use of the microscope in the initial stage of the removal of the cyst. Cyst extraction during the delivery process was continued without the aid of the microscope. The cyst was successfully removed intact.

CONCLUSION

The use of the magnification during the early part of the surgery of a hydatid cyst is extremely helpful because, at a crucial stage of the procedure, it prevents inadvertent damage of the very thin cyst wall and allows development of the critical surgical plane.

Prolactin-secreting carcinoma of the pituitary: clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study of a case with intracranial and intraspinal dissemination

A 32-year-old female patient with a primary adenohypophyseal neoplasm that rapidly progressed to a fatal outcome is presented. The time interval between her admission to the hospital and her death was 3 months. Despite dopamine agonist therapy, local invasion as well as frontal and spinal cord metastases at Th 10-12 region developed, and four surgical resections were performed. The serum prolactin levels were high. Both the primary pituitary tumour and all the metastatic tumours had the same histological findings and immunohistochemical reactions. Each was composed of pleomorphic chromophobic cells with enlarged nuclei. Mitoses and necroses were frequent. Immunostains revealed prolactin in the tumour cells. A literature review revealed that in most of the pituitary carcinomas as in our case hyperprolactinaemia did not respond to medical therapy and the histopathological appearance of the tumour has not correlated with the aggressive behaviour of the tumour. It may therefore be considered that at least some of the cases with metastases in prolactin secreting pituitary carcinomas could be the result of hyperprolactinaemia itself.

Anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma

A case of anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) in a 9-year-old girl is reported. Histological features of PXAs are cellular pleomorphism of GFAP-positive cells, with intracytoplasmic lipidic vacuoles and a reticulin network, bizarre giant cells, low mitotic activity, and lack of necrosis and of endothelial vascular proliferations. These tumors are generally reported to have a favorable postoperative course. In our case, a poor clinical prognosis and spread of the illness through the CSF was observed. Immunohistochemical features of the tumor, which were histologically anaplastic in nature, were analyzed. There were small foci of necrosis in the sections of the material obtained at the first operation and extensive necrosis in that from the second operation, although the patient had not received radiotherapy between the operations. The presence of necrosis in PXA is an uncommon and significant feature. It predicts the poor prognosis seen in this case, and therefore this report strongly supports the notion that necrosis should automatically exclude a tumor from the PXA category. The histological grade was evaluated as grade 3 (according to the WHO classification).

Micro-invasive squamous cell carcinoma arising in a pre-existing intraventricular epidermoid cyst. Case report and literature review

The authors report the case of a 67-year-old woman with primary micro-invasive squamous cell carcinoma located in the lateral ventricle and originating from an epidermoid cyst. Radiological and histological features of the neoplasm are described and the relevant literature is studied briefly. Two consecutive surgical specimens were studied by light microscopy. In the histological sections of the subtotally removed material of the first operation, the cyst wall was layered by epithelium-the same as expected in an epidermoid cyst- and showed foci with mild to moderate dysplastic changes. Theses changes did not reach up to the degree of a carcinoma. However, because the cyst could not be resected totally, the possibility of a squamous cell carcinoma was considered in the differential diagnosis. In the present case, the diagnosis was firmly established in a second surgical specimen obtained ten months after the first operation. Now, the tumour proved to be a primary squamous cell carcinoma, which exhibited severe dysplastic changes. Primary squamous cell carcinoma of brain is extremely rare. To our knowledge, only 20 such tumours with pre-existing epidermoid cyst have been reported in the central nervous system. The intriguing observation in this case is a three year recurrence free survival following the subtotal removal of the malignant neoplasm at the second surgery, without postoperative radiotherapy.