Randomized phase III trial of metabolic imaging-guided dose escalation of radio-chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (SPECTRO GLIO trial)

BACKGROUND

Glioblastoma (GBM) systematically recurs after a standard 60 Gy radio-chemotherapy regimen. Since magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) has been shown to predict the site of relapse, we analyzed the effect of MRSI-guided dose escalation on overall survival (OS) of patients with newly diagnosed GBM.

METHODS

In this multicentric prospective phase III trial, patients who had undergone biopsy or surgery for a GBM were randomly assigned to a standard dose (SD) of 60 Gy or a high dose (HD) of 60 Gy with an additional simultaneous integrated boost totaling 72 Gy to MRSI metabolic abnormalities, the tumor bed and residual contrast enhancements. Temozolomide was administered concomitantly and maintained for 6 months thereafter.

RESULTS

One hundred and eighty patients were included in the study between March 2011 and March 2018. After a median follow-up of 43.9 months (95% CI [42.5; 45.5]), median OS was 22.6 months (95% CI [18.9; 25.4]) versus 22.2 months (95% CI [18.3; 27.8]) for HD, and median progression-free survival was 8.6 (95% CI [6.8; 10.8]) versus 7.8 months (95% CI [6.3; 8.6]), in SD versus HD, respectively. No increase in toxicity rate was observed in the study arm. The pseudoprogression rate was similar across the SD (14.4%) and HD (16.7%) groups. For O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) methylated patients, the median OS was 38 months (95% CI [23.2; NR]) for HD patients versus 28.5 months (95% CI [21.1; 35.7]) for SD patients.

CONCLUSION

The additional MRSI-guided irradiation dose totaling 72 Gy was well tolerated but did not improve OS in newly diagnosed GBM.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT01507506; registration date: December 20, 2011. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01507506?cond=NCT01507506&rank=1.

Immunohistologic Features of Cerebral Venous Thrombosis Due to Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia

OBJECTIVES

Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), a recently described entity characterized by thrombosis at unusual locations such as cerebral venous sinus and splanchnic vein, has been rarely described after adenoviral-encoded COVID-19 vaccines. In this study, we report the immunohistological correlates in 3 fatal cases of cerebral venous thrombosis related to VITT analyzed at an academic medical center.

METHODS

Detailed neuropathologic studies were performed in 3 cases of cerebral venous thrombosis related to VITT after adenoviral COVID-19 vaccination.

RESULTS

Autopsy revealed extensive cerebral vein thrombosis in all 3 cases. Polarized thrombi were observed with a high density of neutrophils in the core and a low density in the tail. Endothelial cells adjacent to the thrombus were largely destroyed. Markers of neutrophil extracellular trap and complement activation were present at the border and within the cerebral vein thrombi. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein was detected within the thrombus and in the adjacent vessel wall.

DISCUSSION

Data indicate that neutrophils and complement activation associated with antispike immunity triggered by the vaccine is probably involved in the disease process.

Variability of Intraoperative Electrostimulation Parameters in Conscious Individuals: Language Fasciculi

OBJECTIVE

The authors analyzed the current-intensity thresholds for electrostimulation of language fasciculi and the possible consequences of threshold variability on brain mapping.

METHODS

A prospective protocol of subcortical electrostimulation was used in 50 patients undergoing brain mapping, directly stimulating presumed language fasciculi identified by diffusion tensor imaging.

RESULTS

The stimulation-intensity thresholds for identification of language fasciculi varied among patients (mean minimum current intensity of 4.4 mA, range = 1.5-10 mA, standard deviation = 1.1 mA), and 23% of fascicular interferences were detected only above 5 mA. Repeated stimulation of the same site with the same intensity led to different types of interferences in 20% of patients, and a higher current intensity led to changes in the type of response in 27%. The mean minimum stimulation intensities did not differ significantly between different fasciculi, between the different types of interference obtained, or with age, sex, or type of tumor. Positive results on cortical mapping were significantly associated with positive results on subcortical mapping (P < 0.001). Subcortical intensity thresholds were slightly lower than cortical ones (mean = 4.43 vs. 5.25 mA, P = 0.034). In 23 of 50 subcortical mappings, fascicular stimulation produced no language interference.

CONCLUSIONS

Individual variability of minimum stimulation-intensity thresholds for identification of language fasciculi is frequent. Nevertheless, even when a high current intensity was used, many stimulations on language fasciculi remained negative for various hypothetic reasons. Finding the optimal current intensity for identifying language fasciculi is of paramount importance to refine the clinical results and scientific data derived from brain mapping.

Clinical long-term consequences of thoraco-lumbar spine fracture and osteosynthesis

OBJECT

Although traumatic spine fractures can be treated by osteosynthesis, their long-term clinical, social, and familial consequences are less known. The aim of this study was to assess these global consequences to a very long-term (at least more than 12 years after the fracture).

METHODS

Two groups, one composed of 30 patients operated for a thoracolumbar fracture by posterior fixation and one with 30 controls (who never had a spinal fracture) matched for age, sex, job and time of follow-up were studied. Patients and control subjects had to answer to 3 questionnaires: one about clinical, familial, and socio-professional changes, and 2 back pain (Dallas and Eifel) scales.

RESULTS

The mean patient follow-up was 14.5 years (from 12 to 18 years, sd 2.3) - control subjects, 15 years. The majority (56%) of the fractures occurred at T12/L1 level. At last follow-up, the chronic low back pain concerned 20 (66,7%) patients versus 11 (36.7%) control subjects (p=0.03); more patients (13 patients - 43.3%) consumed analgesics than control (5 persons - 16.6%) subjects (p=0.04). A large majority (13 patients, 57%) had sick leaves that exceeded 6 months. The loss of wage due to traumatism or chronic low back pain was also significant (p=0.002) between patients and matched controls over the period. At follow-up, the mean Eifel score for the whole patients' cohort was significaty superior compared to control group (4.7 [sd 3.75] vs. 2.6 [sd 4.2], p=0.008). Dallas score was superior in the patient's group for the daily, work-leisure activities and sociability aspect (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Chronic back pain, long sick leaves, changes in professional and familial life, the very long-term postoperative outcome of patients could be more difficult than expected in a majority of patients operated for thoracolumbar fracture. In order to facilitate the back to work and reduce these long-term consequences, we propose that guidelines about job resume in traumatic spinal fractures should be established along with early occupational medicine consultations.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III; retrospective case control study.

One-Step Customized PEEK Cranioplasty After 3D Printed Resection Template Assisted Surgery for a Frontal Intraosseous Meningioma: A Case Report

AIM

To present one-step customized cranioplasty for intraosseous meningiomas.

CASE DESCRIPTION

The authors report the case of a 54-year-old woman with a consequent frontal intraosseous meningioma invading the superior sagittal sinus. The patient only suffered from local pain and cosmetic damage. A complete resection was scheduled with a one-step reconstruction of the frontal bone by a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) specific implant. This implant was computer-assisted designed and manufactured and verified by the surgeon before the intervention. During surgery, the resection was guided by a computer designed resection template and by the classic neuronavigation system. Cranioplasty has been considered optimal intraoperatively by surgeons. The patient, a few weeks after surgery, underwent a subcutaneous fluid collection, rapidly resolutive with a circumferential pressure bandage. Six months after surgery, the patient considered the surgery a success with a very good cosmetic result and a total regression of her local pain.

CONCLUSION

One-step computer-assisted cranioplasty is a safe and effective procedure for large skull defects. PEEK specific implant for cranioplasty offer advantages compared to other materials that will be discussed under the scope of the one-step reconstruction.

The Impact of Surgery on the Survival of Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible benefit of repeat surgery on overall survival for patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Methods:

We performed a retrospective analysis of data from patients who presented with recurrent GBM over a 5-year period (n = 157), comparing baseline characteristics and survival for patients who had at least 1 new tumor resection followed by chemotherapy (reoperation group, n = 59) and those who received medical treatment only (no-reoperation group, n = 98) for recurrence.

Results:

The baseline characteristics of the two groups differed in terms of WHO performance status (better in the reoperation group), mean age (60 years in the reoperation group vs. 65 years in the no-reoperation group), mean interval to recurrence (3 months later in the reoperation group than in the no-reoperation group) and more gross total resections in the reoperation group. Nevertheless, the patients in the reoperation group had a higher rate [32.8%] of sensorimotor deficits than those of the no-reoperation group [14.2]. There was no significant difference in sex; tumor localization, side, or extent; MGMT status; MIB-1 labeling index; or Karnofsky Performance Status [KPS] score. After adjustment for age, the WHO performance status, interval of recurrence, and extent of resection at the first operation, multivariate analysis showed that median survival was significantly better in the reoperation group than in the no-reoperation group (22.9 vs. 14.61 months, P < 0.05). After a total of 69 repeat operations in 59 patients (10 had 2 repeat surgeries), we noted 13 temporary and 20 permanent adverse postoperative events, yielding a permanent complication rate of 28.99% (20/69). There was also a statistically significant (P = 0.029, Student's t-test) decrease in the mean KPS score after reoperation (mean preoperative KPS score of 89.34 vs. mean postoperative score of 84.91).

Conclusion:

Our retrospective study suggests that repeat surgery may be beneficial for patients with GBM recurrence who have good functional status (WHO performance status 0 and 1), although the potential benefits must be weighed against the risk of permanent complications, which occurred in almost 30% of the patients who underwent repeat resection in this series.

Awake Craniotomy and Memory Induction Through Electrical Stimulation: Why Are Penfield's Findings Not Replicated in the Modern Era?

From the 1930s through the early 1960s, Wilder Penfield12 collected a large number of memories induced by electrical brain stimulation (EBS) during awake craniotomy. As a result, he was a major contributor to several neuroscientific and neuropsychological concepts of long-term memory. His 1963 paper, which recorded all the cases of memories he induced in his operating room, remains a substantial point of reference in neuroscience in 2019, although some of his interpretations are now debatable.  However, it is highly surprising that, since Penfield's12 reports, there has been no other surgical publication on memories induced during awake surgery. In this review, we explore this phenomenon and analyze some of the reasons that might explain it. We hypothesize that the main reasons for lack of subsequent reports are related to changes in operative procedures (ie, use of anesthetics, time constraints, and insufficient debriefings) and changes in EBS parameters, rather than to the sites that are stimulated, the pathology treated, or the tasks used. If reminiscences are still induced, they should be reported in detail to add valuable contributions to the understanding of long-term memory networks, especially memories that are difficult to reproduce in the laboratory, such as autobiographical memories.

Time-to-contact perception in the brain

Time-to-contact (TTC) perception refers to the ability of an observer to estimate the remaining time before an object reaches a point in the environment, and is of crucial importance in daily life. Noninvasive correlational approaches have identified several brain areas sensitive to TTC information. Here we report the results of two studies, including one during an awake brain surgery, that aimed to identify the specific areas causally engaged in the TTC estimation process. In Study 1, we tested 40 patients with brain tumor in a TTC estimation task. The results showed that four of the six patients with impaired performance had tumors in right upper parietal cortex, although this tumoral location represented only six over 40 patients. In Study 2, 15 patients underwent awake brain surgery electrostimulation mapping to examine the implication of various brain areas in the TTC estimation process. We acquired and normalized to MNI space the coordinates of the functional areas that influenced task performance. Our results seem to demonstrate that the early stage of the TTC estimation process involved specific cortical territories in the ventral region of the right intraparietal sulcus. Downstream processing of TTC could also involve the frontal eye field (middle frontal gyrus) related to ocular search. We also found that deactivating language areas in the left hemisphere interfered with the TTC estimation process. These findings demonstrate a fine grained, cortical representation of TTC processing close to the ventral right intraparietal sulcus and complement those described in other human studies.

Glioblastoma survival is better analyzed on preradiotherapy MRI than on postoperative MRI residual volumes: A retrospective observational study

OBJECTIVES

Establishing an overall survival prognosis for resected glioblastoma during routine postoperative management remains a challenge. The aim of our single-center study was to assess the usefulness of basing survival analyses on preradiotherapy MRI (PRMR) rather than on postoperative MRI (POMR).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective review was undertaken of 75 patients with glioblastoma treated at our institute. We collected overall survival and MRI volumetric data. We analyzed two types of volumetric data: residual tumor volume and extent of resection. Overall survival rates were compared according to these two types of volumetric data, calculated on either POMR or PRMR and according to the presence or absence of residual enhancement.

RESULTS

Analysis of volumetric data revealed progression of some residual tumors between POMR and PRMR. Kaplan-Meier analysis of the correlations between extent of resection, residual tumor volume, and overall survival revealed significant differences between POMR and PRMR data. Both MRI scans indicated a difference between the complete resection subgroup and the incomplete resection subgroup, as median overall survival was longer in patients with complete resection. However, differences were significant for PRMR (25.3 vs. 15.5, p =  0.012), but not for POMR (21.3 vs. 15.8 months, p =  0.145). With a residual tumor volume cut-off value of 3 cm³, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed non-significant differences on POMR (p =  0.323) compared with PRMR (p =  0.007).

CONCLUSION

Survival in patients with resected glioblastoma was more accurately predicted by volumetric data acquired with PRMR. Differences in predicted survival between the POMR and PRMR groups can be attributed to changes in tumor behavior before adjuvant therapy.

Incidence and predicting factors of perioperative complications during monitored anesthesia care for awake craniotomy

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To assess incidence and predicting factors of awake craniotomy complications.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Operating room and Post Anesthesia Care unit.

PATIENTS

162 patients who underwent 188 awake craniotomy procedures for brain tumor, ASA I to III, with monitored anesthesia care.

MEASUREMENTS

We classified procedures in 3 groups: major event group, minor event group, and no event group. Major events were defined as respiratory failure requiring face mask or invasive ventilation; hemodynamic instability treated by vasoactive drugs, or bradycardia treated by atropine, bleeding >500 ml, transfusion, gaseous embolism, cardiac arrest; seizure, cerebral edema, or any events leading to stopping of the cerebral mapping. Minor event was defined as any complication not classified as major. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine predicting factors of major complication, adjusted for age and ASA score.

MAIN RESULTS

45 procedures (24%) were classified in major event group, 126 (67%) in minor event group, and 17 (9%) in no event group. Seizure was the main complication (n = 13). Asthma (odds ratio: 10.85 [1.34; 235.6]), Remifentanil infusion (odds ratio: 2.97 [1.08; 9.85]) and length of the operation after the brain mapping (odds ratio per supplementary minute: 1.01 [1.01; 1.03]) were associated with major events.

CONCLUSIONS

Previous medical history of asthma, remifentanil infusion and a long duration of neurosurgery after cortical mapping appear to be risk factors for major complications during AC.

Intraoperative electrostimulation for awake brain mapping: how many positive interference responses are required for reliability?

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to characterize the reproducibility of language trials within and between brain mapping sessions.

METHODS

Brain mapping and baseline testing data from 200 adult patients who underwent resection of left-hemisphere tumors were evaluated. Data from 11 additional patients who underwent a second resection for recurrence were analyzed separately to investigate reproducibility over time. In all cases, a specific protocol of electrostimulation brain mapping with a controlled naming task was used to detect language areas, and the results were statistically compared with preoperative and intraoperative baseline naming error rates. All patients had normal preoperative error rates, controlled for educational level and age (mean 8.92%, range 0%-16.25%). Intraoperative baseline error rates within the normal range were highly correlated with preoperative ones (r = 0.74, p < 10-10), although intraoperative rates were usually higher (mean 13.30%, range 0%-26.67%). Initially, 3 electrostimulation trials were performed in each cortical area. If 2 of 3 trials showed language interference, 1 or 2 additional trials were performed (depending on results).

RESULTS

In the main group of 200 patients, there were 82 single interferences (i.e., positive results in 1 of 3 trials), 227 double interferences (2/3), and 312 full interferences (3/3). Binomial statistics revealed that full interferences were statistically significant (vs intraoperative baseline) in 92.7% of patients, while double interferences were significant only in 38.5% of patients, those with the lowest error rates. On further testing, one-third of the 2/3 trials became 2/4 trials, which was significant in only one-quarter of patients. Double interference could be considered significant for most patients (> 90%) when confirmed by 2 subsequent positive trials (4/5). In the 11 patients who were operated on twice, only 26% of areas that tested positive in the initial operation tested positive in the second and showed the same type of interference and the same current threshold (i.e., met all 3 criteria).

CONCLUSIONS

Electrostimulation trials in awake brain mapping produced graded patterns of positive reproducibility levels, and their significance varied with the baseline error rates. The results suggest that caution is warranted when 2 of 3 trials are positive, although the need for additional trials depends on the individual patients' baseline error rates. Reproducibility issues should be considered in the interpretation of data from awake brain mapping.

EWSR1-PATZ1 gene fusion may define a new glioneuronal tumor entity

We investigated the challenging diagnostic case of a ventricular cystic glioneuronal tumor with papillary features, by RNA sequencing using the Illumina TruSight RNA Fusion panel. We did not retrieve the SLC44A1-PRKCA fusion gene specific for papillary glioneuronal tumor, but an EWSR1-PATZ1 fusion transcript. RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing confirmed the EWSR1-PATZ1 fusion. It matched with canonic EWSR1 fusion oncogene, juxtaposing the entire N-terminal transcriptional activation domain of EWSR1 gene and the C-terminal DNA binding domain of a transcription factor gene, PATZ1. PATZ1 protein belongs to the BTB-ZF (broad-complex, tramtrack and bric-à-brac -zinc finger) family. It directly regulates Pou5f1 and Nanog and is essential to maintaining stemness by inhibiting neural differentiation. EWSR1-PATZ1 fusion is a rare event in tumors: it was only reported in six round cell sarcomas and in three gliomas of three exclusively molecular studies. The first reported glioma was a BRAF^V600E negative ganglioglioma, the second a BRAF^V600E negative glioneuronal tumor, not otherwise specified and the third, very recently reported, a high grade glioma, not otherwise specified. In our study, forty BRAF^V600E negative gangliogliomas were screened by FISH using EWSR1 break-apart probes. We performed methylation profiling for the index case and for seven out of the ten FISH positive cases. The index case clustered apart from other pediatric low grade glioneuronal entities, and specifically from the well-defined ganglioglioma methylation group. An additional pediatric intraventricular ganglioglioma clustered slightly more closely with ganglioglioma, but showed differences from the main ganglioglioma group and similarities with the index case. Both cases harbored copy number variations at the PATZ1 locus. EWSR1-PATZ1 gene fusion might define a new type of glioneuronal tumors, distinct from gangliogliomas.

Frontoethmoidal meningoencephalocele: appraisal of a craniofacial surgical teaching program in Cambodia

OBJECTIVE The treatment of frontoethmoidal meningoencephaloceles (fMECs) in Cambodia was not possible before the development of a program that taught some Khmer surgeons (working at the Children's Surgical Centre in Phnom Penh) how to surgically correct these deformities without any foreign help. The results of that teaching program are discussed in this paper. METHODS Between 2004 and 2009, both local and visiting foreign neurosurgical and craniofacial surgeons (the visitors coming twice a year) worked together to operate on 200 patients, and a report on those cases was published in 2010. In subsequent years (2010-2016), the Khmer surgeons operated on 100 patients without the presence of the visiting surgeons. In this study, the authors compare the second case series with the previously published series and the literature in terms of results and complications. The operations were performed with limited surgical materials and equipment, using a combined bicoronal and transfacial approach in most cases. Most of the patients came from very poor families. RESULTS Organizing the postoperative follow-up of these low-income patients (mean age 12 years) was probably the most challenging part of this teaching program. Nine of the patients were lost to surgical follow-up. In the other cases, cosmetic results were judged by the surgeons as worse than the patient's preoperative appearance in 1 case, poor in 12 cases, average in 27, and good in 51-data that are significantly less encouraging than the results reported by the joint local/visiting teams in 2010 (p = 0.0001). Nevertheless, patients and parents tended to have a better overall opinion about the surgical results (rating the results as good in 84% of the 80 cases in which parent or patient ratings were available). Twenty postoperative complications were observed (the most common being temporary CSF leaks). The rate of immediate postoperative complications directly related to fMEC surgery was less than that in the previous series, but the difference was not statistically significant (20% vs 28.5%, p = 0.58). No death was noted in this case series (in contrast to the previous series). Social questionnaire results confirmed that fMEC correction partially improved the adverse social and educational consequences of fMEC in affected children. CONCLUSIONS In the current state of this program, the local surgeons are able to correct fMECs in their own country, without foreign assistance, with good results in a majority of patients. Such humanitarian teaching programs generally take years to achieve the initial aims.

Functional architecture of the somatosensory homunculus detected by electrostimulation

KEY POINTS

We performed a prospective electrostimulation study, based on 50 operated intact patients, to acquire accurate MNI coordinates of the functional areas of the somatosensory homunculus. In the contralateral BA1, the hand representation displayed not only medial-to-lateral, little-finger-to-thumb, but also rostral-to-caudal discrete somatotopy, with the tip of each finger located more caudally than the proximal phalanx. The analysis of the MNI body coordinates showed rare inter-individual variations in the medial-to-lateral somatotopic organization in these patients with rather different intensity thresholds needed to elicit sensations in different body parts. We found some similarities but also substantial differences with the previous, seminal works of Penfield and his colleagues. We propose a new drawing of the human somatosensory homunculus according to MNI space.

ABSTRACT

In this prospective electrostimulation study, based on 50 operated patients with no sensory deficit and no brain lesion in the postcentral gyrus, we acquired coordinates in the standard MNI space of the functional areas of the somatosensory homunculus. The 3D brain volume of each patient was normalized to that space to obtain the MNI coordinates of the stimulation site locations. For 647 sites stimulated on Brodmann Area 1 (and 1025 in gyri nearby), 258 positive points for somatosensory response (40%) were found in the postcentral gyrus. In the contralateral BA1, the hand representation displayed not only medial-to-lateral and little-finger-to-thumb somatotopy, but also rostral-to-caudal discrete somatotopy, with the tip of each finger located more caudally than the proximal phalanx. We detected a medial-to-lateral, tip-to-base tongue organization but no rostral-to-caudal functional organization. The analysis of the MNI body coordinates showed rare inter-individual variations in the medial-to-lateral somatotopic organization in these patients with intact somatosensory cortex. Positive stimulations were detected through the 'on/off' outbreak effect and discriminative touch sensations were the sensations reported almost exclusively by all patients during stimulation. Mean hand (2.39 mA) and tongue (2.60 mA) positive intensity thresholds were lower (P < 0.05) than the intensities required to elicit sensations in the other parts of the body. Unlike the previous, seminal works of Penfield and colleagues, we detected no sensations such as sense of movement or desire to move, no somatosensory responses outside the postcentral gyrus, and no bilateral responses for face/tongue stimulations. We propose a rationalization of the standard drawing of the somatosensory homunculus according to MNI space.

Postoperative complications after craniotomy for brain tumor surgery

INTRODUCTION

After elective craniotomy for brain tumour surgery, patients are usually admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for monitoring. Our goal was to evaluate the incidence and timing of neurologic and non-neurologic postoperative complications after brain tumour surgery, to determine factors associated with neurologic events and to evaluate the timing and causes of ICU readmission.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This prospective, observational and analytic study enrolled 188 patients admitted to the ICU after brain tumour surgery. All postoperative clinical events during the first 24hours were noted and classified. Readmission causes and timing were also analysed.

RESULTS

Twenty-one (11%) of the patients were kept sedated after surgery; the remaining 167 patients were studied. Thirty one percent of the patients presented at least one complication (25% with postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), 16% with neurologic complications). The occurrence of neurological complications was significantly associated with the absence of preoperative motor deficit and the presence of higher intraoperative bleeding. Seven patients (4%) were readmitted to the ICU after discharge; 43% (n=3) of them had a posterior fossa surgery.

CONCLUSION

Postoperative complications, especially PONV, are frequent after brain tumour surgery. Moreover, 16% of patients presented a neurological complication, probably justifying the ICU postoperative stay for early detection. The absence of preoperative motor deficit and intraoperative bleeding seems to predict postoperative neurologic complications. Finally, patients may present complications after ICU discharge, especially patients with fossa posterior surgery, suggesting that ICU hospitalization may be longer in this type of surgery.

Variability of intraoperative electrostimulation parameters in conscious individuals: language cortex

OBJECTIVE Electrostimulation in awake brain mapping is widely used to guide tumor removal, but methodologies can differ substantially across institutions. The authors studied electrostimulation brain mapping data to characterize the variability of the current intensity threshold across patients and the effect of its variations on the number, type, and surface area of the essential language areas detected. METHODS Over 7 years, the authors prospectively studied 100 adult patients who were undergoing intraoperative brain mapping during resection of left hemisphere tumors. In all 100 cases, the same protocol of electrostimulation brain mapping (a controlled naming task-bipolar stimulation with biphasic square wave pulses of 1-msec duration and 60-Hz trains, maximum train duration 6 sec) and electrocorticography was used to detect essential language areas. RESULTS The minimum positive thresholds of stimulation varied from patient to patient; the mean minimum intensity required to detect interference was 4.46 mA (range 1.5-9 mA), and in a substantial proportion of sites (13.5%) interference was detected only at intensities above 6 mA. The threshold varied within a given patient for different naming areas in 22% of cases. Stimulation of the same naming area with greater intensities led to slight changes in the type of response in 19% of cases and different types of responses in 4.5%. Naming sites detected were located in subcentimeter cortical areas (50% were less than 20 mm²), but their extent varied with the intensity of stimulation. During a brain mapping session, the same intensity of stimulation reproduced the same type of interference in 94% of the cases. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean stimulation intensities required to produce interfereince in the left inferior frontal lobe (Broca's area), the supramarginal gyri, and the posterior temporal region. CONCLUSIONS Intrasubject and intersubject variations of the minimum thresholds of positive naming areas and changes in the type of response and in the size of these areas according to the intensity used may limit the interpretation of data from electrostimulation in awake brain mapping. To optimize the identification of language areas during electrostimulation brain mapping, it is important to use different intensities of stimulation at the maximum possible currents, avoiding afterdischarges. This could refine the clinical results and scientific data derived from these mapping sessions.

Clinical and radiological cervical spine evaluation in retired professional rugby players

OBJECT Acute cervical spine injuries have been extensively studied in high-level contact sports. However, the relation between the appearance of degenerative cervical spine disease and the exposure to repeated trauma in such sports as rugby is still unclear. Using clinical and MRI evaluation, we aimed to determine if former professional rugby players had more serious degenerative cervical spine symptoms than the general population. METHODS Two groups, one composed of 101 former rugby players (all men, mean age 40.3 years, range 35-47 years, SD 2.3 years) and the other of 85 male volunteers serving as a control group (mean age 41.6 years, range 35-49 years, SD 4.5 years) were studied. The former rugby players were evaluated on average 5.8 years after retirement (range 1-16 years, SD 3.5 years). The groups were matched in terms of sex, age, job, current sports training, and smoking habits. Each participant received a complete neurological evaluation. Clinical symptoms were evaluated using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) questionnaire, and chronic neck pain was specifically evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) and the Neck Disability Index (NDI). Overall, 25 MRI studies were performed in each group. MRI studies, including dynamic sequences, focused on degenerative lesions (Matsumoto score and canal diameter) and on muscular and medullary morphological analysis. RESULTS Significantly more former rugby players than controls complained of chronic neck pain (51 [50.50%] of 101 vs 27 [31.76%] of 85, p = 0.01). Rugby players also had significant reductions of neck mobility. Nevertheless, in those complaining of pain, there was no statistically significant difference between groups with respect to VAS and NDI scores (p = 0.57). On MRI, former rugby players had a narrower vertebral canal (on average 0.88 ± 0.167 cm vs 0.99 ± 0.130 cm, p = 0.007) and more foraminal stenosis (p = 0.01). No significant difference in the Matsumoto score was found between the 2 groups with respect to other degenerative lesions. Former rugby players had more often undergone surgery for a degenerative condition than had members of the control group (10 cases vs 0 in the control group, p = 0.0021). CONCLUSIONS A few years after retirement, former professional rugby players seem to have more frequent cervical spine pain and MRI degenerative lesions, such as foraminal stenosis and narrowing of the spinal canal, compared with controls who had not been professional rugby players. A longer evaluation is necessary to determine if these findings persist over time.

Neurosurgical work during the Napoleonic wars: Baron Larrey's experience

OBJECTIVES

Considered as the most famous French military surgeon, Dominique-Jean Larrey (1766-1842), who joined all the campaigns of Napoleon, wrote his memoirs and several medical articles. This paper discusses how in the Napoleonic times, Larrey dealt with neurosurgical diseases or injuries.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We reviewed four main publications of Larrey published between 1812 and 1838 and analyzed the type of neurosurgical cases presented and their treatment.

RESULTS

These works include his practice of what we call now "neurosurgery" since most injuries described concern the skull or spine. He seemed to treat patients with humanity, integrity and perseverance. Larrey dealt with many aspects of neurosurgery, such as cranial or spinal trauma surgery, and also infectious diseases. He saw many head injuries inflicted not only by muskets or artillery, but also with spears and sabers. Unlike some others, Larrey advocated the use of trepanation in many situations as practiced, for instance, in the treatment of depressed fractures or in presence of subdural collections. On the other hand, this surgeon who saw thousands of amputees during his career did not mention the phantom limb phenomenon in his memoirs. Similarly, the issue of cerebral localizations is only mentioned in his last work, published in 1838.

CONCLUSIONS

In his work, Larrey (and all his contemporaries) dealt essentially with "cranial" surgery, as in skull fractures where the brain could potentially have been injured by bone fragments. The time for brain surgery had not come yet.

Segregation of lexical and sub-lexical reading processes in the left perisylvian cortex

A fundamental issue in cognitive neuroscience is the existence of two major, sub-lexical and lexical, reading processes and their possible segregation in the left posterior perisylvian cortex. Using cortical electrostimulation mapping, we identified the cortical areas involved on reading either orthographically irregular words (lexical, "direct" process) or pronounceable pseudowords (sublexical, "indirect" process) in 14 right-handed neurosurgical patients while video-recording behavioral effects. Intraoperative neuronavigation system and Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) stereotactic coordinates were used to identify the localization of stimulation sites. Fifty-one reading interference areas were found that affected either words (14 areas), or pseudo-words (11 areas), or both (26 areas). Forty-one (80%) corresponded to the impairment of the phonological level of reading processes. Reading processes involved discrete, highly localized perisylvian cortical areas with individual variability. MNI coordinates throughout the group exhibited a clear segregation according to the tested reading route; specific pseudo-word reading interferences were concentrated in a restricted inferior and anterior subpart of the left supramarginal gyrus (barycentre x = -68.1; y = -25.9; z = 30.2; Brodmann's area 40) while specific word reading areas were located almost exclusively alongside the left superior temporal gyrus. Although half of the reading interferences found were nonspecific, the finding of specific lexical or sublexical interferences is new evidence that lexical and sublexical processes of reading could be partially supported by distinct cortical sub-regions despite their anatomical proximity. These data are in line with many brain activation studies that showed that left superior temporal and inferior parietal regions had a crucial role respectively in word and pseudoword reading and were core regions for dyslexia.

Anatomical correlates for category-specific naming of objects and actions: a brain stimulation mapping study

The production of object and action words can be dissociated in aphasics, yet their anatomical correlates have been difficult to distinguish in functional imaging studies. To investigate the extent to which the cortical neural networks underlying object- and action-naming processing overlap, we performed electrostimulation mapping (ESM), which is a neurosurgical mapping technique routinely used to examine language function during brain-tumor resections. Forty-one right-handed patients who had surgery for a brain tumor were asked to perform overt naming of object and action pictures under stimulation. Overall, 73 out of the 633 stimulated cortical sites (11.5%) were associated with stimulation-induced language interferences. These interference sites were very much localized (<1 cm(2) ), and showed substantial variability across individuals in their exact localization. Stimulation interfered with both object and action naming over 44 sites, whereas it specifically interfered with object naming over 19 sites and with action naming over 10 sites. Specific object-naming sites were mainly identified in Broca's area (Brodmann area 44/45) and the temporal cortex, whereas action-naming specific sites were mainly identified in the posterior midfrontal gyrus (Brodmann area 6/9) and Broca's area (P = 0.003 by the Fisher's exact test). The anatomical loci we emphasized are in line with a cortical distinction between objects and actions based on conceptual/semantic features, so the prefrontal/premotor cortex would preferentially support sensorimotor contingencies associated with actions, whereas the temporal cortex would preferentially underpin (functional) properties of objects.

Electrostimulation mapping of spatial neglect

BACKGROUND

Cortical and subcortical electrostimulation mapping during awake brain surgery for tumor removal is usually used to minimize deficits.

OBJECTIVE

To use electrostimulation to study neuronal substrates involved in spatial awareness in humans.

METHODS

Spatial neglect was studied using a line bisection task in combination with electrostimulation mapping of the right hemisphere in 50 cases. Stimulation sites were identified with Talairach coordinates. The behavioral effects induced by stimulation, especially eye movements and deviations from the median, were quantified and compared with preoperative data and a control group.

RESULTS

Composite and highly individualized spatial neglect maps were generated. Both rightward and leftward deviations were induced, sometimes in the same patient but for different stimulation sites. Group analysis showed that specific and reproducible line deviations were induced by stimulation of discrete cortical areas located in the posterior part of the right superior and middle temporal gyri, inferior parietal lobe, and inferior postcentral and inferior frontal gyri (P < .05). Fiber tracking identified stimulated subcortical areas important to spare as sections of fronto-occipital and superior longitudinal II fascicles. According to preoperative and postoperative neglect battery tests, the specificity and sensitivity of intraoperative line bisection tests were 94% and 83%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

In humans, discrete cortical areas that are variable in location between individuals but mainly located within the right posterior Sylvian fissure sustain visuospatial attention specifically toward the contralateral or ipsilateral space direction. Line bisection mapping was found to be a reliable method for minimizing spatial neglect caused by brain tumor surgery.

Awake Craniotomy vs Surgery Under General Anesthesia for Resection of Supratentorial Lesions4

BACKGROUND:

The use of an awake craniotomy in the treatment of supratentorial lesions is a challenge for both patients and staff in the operation theater.

OBJECT:

To assess the safety and effectiveness of an awake craniotomy with brain mapping in comparison with a craniotomy performed under general anesthesia.

METHODS:

We prospectively compared 2 groups of patients who underwent surgery for supratentorial lesions: those in whom an awake craniotomy with intraoperative brain mapping was used (AC group, n = 214) and those in whom surgery was performed under general anesthesia (GA group, n = 361, including 72 patients with lesions in eloquent areas). The AC group included lesions in close proximity to the eloquent cortex that were surgically treated on an elective basis.

RESULTS:

Globally, the 2 groups were comparable in terms of sex, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, pathology, size of lesions, quality of resection, duration of surgery, and neurological outcome, and different in tumor location and preoperative neurological deficits (higher in the AC group). However, specific data analysis of patients with lesions in eloquent areas revealed a significantly better neurological outcome and quality of resection (P &lt; .001) in the AC group than the subgroup of GA patients with lesions in eloquent areas. Surgery was uneventful in AC patients and they were discharged home sooner.

CONCLUSION:

AC with brain mapping is safe and allows maximal removal of lesions close to functional areas with low neurological complication rates. It provides an excellent alternative to craniotomy under GA.

Anatomical correlates for category-specific naming of living and non-living things

INTRODUCTION

Selective naming categories impairments for living and non-living things are widely reported in brain damaged patients. Electrostimulation mapping was used to study the possible anatomical segregation of living/non-living categories in a prospective series of patients operated on for tumor removal.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty brain mappings (patients with no language impairment; range: 14-80 years; mean: 48 years; 26 males; 5 left handed) were performed in 46 left and 4 right hemispheres using two linguistically controlled tasks (naming for living and non-living things) during an awake surgery procedure. Fifteen regions and four macro cortical areas were designed to analyze the distribution of the interference sites.

RESULTS

Over 761 sites stimulated in the lateral hemispheres, 130 naming interferences sites were detected in small cortical areas (<1cm(2)). High individual variability was observed for living/non-living word retrieval localization and organization with a majority (62%) of shared living/non-living interferences. Specific living (12%) or non-living (26%) interferences were found too. In group analysis, no statistical significant anatomical localization was observed for living items in left lateral hemispheric cortex. A statistical significant representation of interference sites for non-living objects was found (Generalized Estimating Equation methodology, z-test=2.28, p=0.027) in the left posterolateral temporoparietal cortex. No influence of histopathology, gender and age on anatomical localization of naming categories was detected.

CONCLUSION

The existence of dedicated neural structures for naming non-living things in the left posterolateral temporoparietal cortex is supported by this study although high individual differences exist in the organization of word categories retrieval.

Sentence translation in proficient bilinguals: a direct electrostimulation brain mapping

Direct cortical electrostimulation was used to study cortical areas hypothetically involved in translation in bilinguals during brain tumour resections, with a view to sparing these functional areas. A series of seven proficient bilingual patients was studied: two left-handed and five right-handed individuals with no pre-existing language deficit. Hemispheric cortex (on the side contralateral to the patient's hand-dominance) was directly stimulated whilst the patient performed naming and reading tasks in both languages and a translation task (of a written text from their second 'learned' language to their first or 'native' language). Of the 147 different cortical sites studied, 26 'language functional sites' were detected, where electrostimulation affected reading and/or naming in the patient's native and/or second learned language. Of these, 8 sites (in 4 patients) were "task-specific" and "language-specific" i.e., affecting only naming or reading in only one of the patient's languages. Of the 26 "language sites", only 3 produced any interferences in translation. All of these were located in frontal regions. Electrostimulation at these sites caused the patient to stop translating abruptly, but no language switching or other translation-related phenomenon was observed. No site was found that was involved only in translation and not other language tasks. Overall, in contrast to other language tasks, cortical structures of the convexity were rarely involved in translation. We suggest that translation interference could be more readily detected by subcortical stimulations. This spatial dissociation within the brain of translation function versus other language functions could explain the cases of dissociated language impairments observed in some bilingual patients with brain lesions. On a practical level, because the cortical sites found by translation tasks are few and related with other cortical language sites, we think that translation tasks provide little additional helpful information for cortical brain mapping in bilingual neurosurgical patients.

Frontoethmoidal meningoencephalocele: appraisal of 200 operated cases

OBJECT

Frontoethmoidal mengingoencephaloceles (fMECs) are frequently observed in Cambodia, especially in poor families. The authors describe issues related to the surgical treatment of fMECs in Cambodia at the end of a humanitarian program that provided surgery free of charge to patients and their families.

METHODS

The authors reviewed 257 cases of fMEC involving patients who presented to their institution, the Children's Surgical Center in Phnom Penh, between 2004 and 2009. They treated 200 of these patients surgically (108 males, 92 females; 89% younger than 18 years) using a "low-cost" management plan with no routine pre- or postoperative investigations. Initially, surgery was performed by visiting foreign surgeons who taught the procedures to resident surgeons. Patients were not charged for consultations or treatment and received at least 1 follow-up examination 6 months postoperatively.

RESULTS

The nasoethmoidal type was the most frequent fMEC encountered (69%). Many patients had associated ophthalmological issues (46% of cases). Only 1 familial case was detected. Combined neurosurgical and facial procedures were successfully standardized and learned by surgeons initially unfamiliar with fMEC management. A neurosurgical approach avoided the need for a facial incision in 42 cases, improving cosmetic results. The most common postoperative issues were a temporary CSF leak (24 cases [12%]) and/or infection (28 cases [14%]). There were 3 deaths directly related to the operations. Cosmetic results were good in 145 cases, average in 27, poor in 7, and worse than preoperative appearance in 6 patients. Fifteen patients were lost to follow-up. The parents of 87% of the children were rice farmers. Questionnaire results confirmed that fMEC has important social and educational consequences for the affected children and that these consequences can be partially improved by fMEC correction.

CONCLUSIONS

This experience in fMEC management demonstrates that local surgeons can treat these malformations with limited surgical materials and in a nonspecialized infrastructure after principles of treatment have been learned and if they are carefully respected. Surgery for fMEC can thus be more accessible to a larger number of patients in developing countries. Moreover, local treatment facilitates better postoperative and follow-up care.

What Makes Surgical Tumor Resection Feasible in Broca's Area? Insights Into Intraoperative Brain Mapping

OBJECTIVE

Surgical resection of mass lesions in Broca's area is controversial. To demonstrate that pathology may influence the localization of functional areas and language performance, we reviewed our experience of awake craniotomies in Broca's area.

METHODS

Sixteen consecutive patients who underwent awake craniotomy and direct brain mapping for resective surgery in Broca's area were analyzed. Six patients had well-circumscribed lesions, whereas 10 patients had infiltrative gliomas. A short version of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination test was used for language assessment.

RESULTS

Inferior frontal language sites were found in all but 4 patients. In patients with cavernomas or well-circumscribed tumors, 9 of 9 (100%) of the positive sites were located in the classic Broca's area (BA 44/45). By contrast, in those patients with gliomas, only 5 of 20 (25%) of the positive sites were located in BA 44/45. Patients with infiltrative gliomas demonstrated more deficits in the pre and postoperative periods than those with well-circumscribed mass lesions. All patients returned to their baseline abilities within 6 months.

CONCLUSION

Intraoperative language maps generated in cases with well-circumscribed lesions are different from those generated in cases with infiltrative gliomas. This supports the view that interindividual language variability and displacement of critical structures by mass effect should first be considered for circumscribed lesions, whereas reshaping should largely be attributed to brain plasticity in gliomas. Surgery in Broca's area can be safely conducted using awake craniotomy and brain mapping.

Who actually read Exner? Returning to the source of the frontal "writing centre" hypothesis

We have translated the most famous text of Sigmund Exner (1846-1926), which relates to the existence of a localised "writing centre" in the brain. We discuss its relevance to modern studies and understanding of writing and agraphia. In Exner's most famous text, he hypothesised about the eponymous "Exner's Area", a discrete area within the brain that was located in the left middle frontal gyrus, which was dedicated to the function of writing. This text in German, included in a book published in 1881 "Untersuchungen über die Lokalisation der Functionen in der Grosshirnrinde des Menschen" (Studies on the localisation of functions in the cerebral cortex of humans), lent itself to passionate debates during the following decades on the possibility of finding a specific writing centre in left middle frontal gyrus. Modern authors still refer back to the evidence cited in this seminal text. However, over the 281 pages of Exner's book, only a few chapters dealt with agraphia. Only four of the 167 case reports in the book explicitly mention agraphia. Although Exner describes the anatomical details of these lesions (from autopsies), no patient had pure agraphia, and only one case had an isolated lesion of the posterior part of the middle frontal gyrus. The small number of patients, the absence of pure agraphia symptoms, and the variation in the anatomy of these lesions are the main reasons why Exner's hypothesis of a writing centre in left middle frontal gyrus has been continually debated until now. More than the seminal publication of Sigmund Exner on agraphia, we think that the diffusion of his hypothesis was partly due to the influence that Exner and his family had within the scientific community at the turn of the 20th century.

Mirror of the soul: a cortical stimulation study on recognition of facial emotions

Object

The capability of recognizing the expressions of facial emotions has been hypothesized to depend on a right hemispheric cortical-subcortical network. Its impairment deeply disturbs social relationships. To spare right hemispheric cortical areas involved in recognizing facial emotion, the authors used intraoperative cortical stimulation and the awake surgery technique in a consecutive series of patients. The feasibility and the interest to map them during brain mapping for neurosurgical procedures are discussed.

Methods

After a preoperative neuropsychological evaluation, 18 consecutive patients with right hemispheric lesions (5 metastases, 6 high-grade gliomas, 4 low-grade gliomas, 2 arteriovenous malformations, and 1 malignant meningioma) were tested by intraoperative cortical stimulation while performing a facial emotion recognition task along with sensorimotor and visuospatial tasks.

Results

Three hundred eighty-six cortical sites were studied. Five (1.30%) reproducible interference sites for facial emotion recognition were identified in 5 patients: 1 site in the medial segment of T1; 1 site in the posterior segment of T1; 1 site in the posterior segment of T2; and 2 sites in the supramarginal gyrus. No selective impairment was found regarding the emotion category. All facial emotion recognition sites were spared during surgery, and none of the patients experienced postoperative deficits in recognition of facial emotions.

Conclusions

The finding of interference sites in facial emotion recognition in the right posterior perisylvian area, independent to sensorimotor or visuospatial orientation processes, reinforces the theory about the role of anatomically and functionally segregated right hemisphere structures in this cognitive process. The authors advocate offering a brain mapping of facial emotion recognition to patients with right posterior perisylvian tumors.

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy: outcome analysis in 368 procedures

OBJECT

Although endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) has been accepted as a procedure of choice for the treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus, the outcome of this treatment remains controversial with regard to age, cause, and long-term follow-up results. The goal of this study was to assess the risk of failure associated with these factors in a retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

Between 1999 and 2007, 368 ETVs were performed in 350 patients (165 patients < 18 years of age) with hydrocephalus at the University Hospital of Toulouse. Failure of ETV was defined as cases requiring any subsequent surgical procedure for CSF diversion or death related to hydrocephalus management.

RESULTS

Tumors (53%), primary aqueductal stenosis (18%), and intracranial hemorrhage (13%) were the most common causes of hydrocephalus. The median follow-up period was 47 months (range 6-106 months), and the overall success rate was 68.5% (252 of the 368 procedures). Patients < 6 months of age had a 5-fold increased risk of ETV failure than older patients (adjusted hazard ratio [HRa] 5.0; 95% CI 2.4-10.4; p < 0.001). Hemorrhage-related (HRa 4.0; 95% CI 1.9-8.5; p < 0.001) and idiopathic chronic hydrocephalus (HRa 6.3, 95% CI 2.5-15.0, p < 0.001) had a higher risk of failure than other causes. Most failures (97%) occurred within 2 months of the initial procedure. The overall morbidity rate was 10%, although most complications were minor. Finally, the introduction of ETV in the authors' department reduced the number of shunt insertions and hospital admissions for shunt failures by half and was a source of cost savings.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy is a safe procedure and an effective treatment option for hydrocephalus. Factors indicating potential poor ETV outcome seem to be very young children and hemorrhage-related and chronic hydrocephalus in adults.

Cervical spine injuries resulting from diving accidents in swimming pools: outcome of 34 patients

Cervical spine injuries after diving into private swimming pools can lead to dramatic consequences. We reviewed 34 patients hospitalized in our center between 1996 and 2006. Data was collected from their initial admission and from follow-up appointments. The injuries were sustained by young men in 97% (mean age 27) and the majority happened during the summer (88%). Fractures were at C5-C7 in 70%. American Spinal Injury Association class (ASIA) on admission was A for 8 patients, B for 4, C for 4, D for 1, and E for 17. There were 23 surgical spine stabilizations. Final ASIA class was A for 6 patients, B for 1, C for 3, D for 5, and E for 18. The mean duration of hospitalization was 21.3 days in our neurosurgical center (mean overall cost: 36,000 Euros/patient) plus 10.6 months in rehabilitation center for the 15 patients admitted who had an ASIA class A to C. Mean overall direct cost for a patient with class A is almost 300,000 Euros, compared to around 10,000 Euros for patients with class D and E. In addition, a profound impact on personal and professional life was seen in many cases including 11 divorces and 7 job losses. Dangerous diving into swimming pools can result in spinal injuries with drastic consequences, including permanent physical disability and a profound impact on socio-professional status. Moreover, there are significant financial costs to society. Better prevention strategies should be implemented to reduce the impact of this public health problem.

Seasonal variations in frontoethmoidal meningoencephalocele births in Cambodia

OBJECT

Frontoethmoidal meningoencephalocele (fMEC) is relatively common in many Southeast Asian countries, with devastating aesthetic and social consequences for affected children. No cause has been detected to date. Among other factors, the authors of this paper attempt to identify a statistically significant difference in the spread of fMEC births throughout the year compared with other births. This seasonal variation in the incidence of fMEC births may provide clues to the causes of this condition.

METHODS

From a group of 175 children with fMEC who underwent surgery at the authors' humanitarian institution (Children's Surgical Centre) in Phnom Penh between 2004 and 2008, 86 children were studied. These children were born at full term and had an accurately recorded date of birth. The birth dates of this fMEC group were compared with a group of > 15,000 other live births at one of the main maternity units in Phnom Penh in 2005 and 2006.

RESULTS

Seasonal variation in incidence of fMEC by month of birth was highly statistically significant (p < 0.001), with the peak of births occurring in the dry season (between March and May). This is in contrast to the control group, in which there was an equal distribution of births throughout the year. More than 85% of the parents of children with fMEC who the authors treated were farmers, but this figure reflects the composition of the Cambodian population.

CONCLUSIONS

Uneven spread in the incidence of fMEC births throughout the year suggests that a seasonal factor during the wet season may be suspected in the pathogenesis of fMEC in Cambodia.

Cortical calculation localization using electrostimulation

Object

A naming task has been used to spare cortical areas involved in language. In the present study, a calculation task was combined with electrostimulation mapping (awake surgery) to spare cortical areas involved in calculation in patients undergoing surgery for brain lesions. The organization of language and calculation areas was analyzed in relation to these surgical data.

Methods

Twenty patients with brain lesions close to areas possibly involved in calculation (dominant parietal lobe and F2) were prospectively studied over a 4-year period. Four patients had preoperative symptoms of acalculia and therefore were not included in the brain mapping procedure.

Results

In 16 patients, direct electrostimulation caused calculation interferences in localized small cortical areas (< 2 cm2). Of the 53 calculation interferences found, 23 were independent of language areas, especially those in the inferior left parietal lobule. Various patterns of interference were observed (11 complete acalculia, 5 acalculia with wrong answers, 2 hesitations, and 5 mixed responses), although error patterns were fairly similar across angular, parietal, and frontal stimulation sites. Calculation areas in 4 patients could not be spared for oncological reasons; postoperatively, 3 of these patients showed significant acalculia symptoms. In contrast, none of the patients whose calculation areas were spared had arithmetic difficulties 1 month after surgery. Improvements in acalculia symptoms after surgery were also found in 3 of the 4 patients with preoperative calculation difficulties.

Conclusions

To limit the risk of personal and professional disturbances caused by acquired anarithmetia in patients undergoing surgery for brain tumors or epilepsy, the authors think it is necessary to use a calculation task during brain mapping, especially when operating in the dominant parietal lobe.

Who is who: areas of the brain associated with recognizing and naming famous faces

OBJECT

It has been hypothesized that specific brain regions involved in face naming may exist in the brain. To spare these areas and to gain a better understanding of their organization, the authors studied patients who underwent surgery by using direct electrical stimulation mapping for brain tumors, and they compared an object-naming task to a famous face-naming task.

METHODS

Fifty-six patients with brain tumors (39 and 17 in the left and right hemispheres, respectively) and with no significant preoperative overall language deficit were prospectively studied over a 2-year period. Four patients who had a partially selective famous face anomia and 2 with prosopagnosia were not included in the final analysis.

RESULTS

Face-naming interferences were exclusively localized in small cortical areas (< 1 cm2). Among 35 patients whose dominant left hemisphere was studied, 26 face-naming specific areas (that is, sites of interference in face naming only and not in object naming) were found. These face naming-specific sites were significantly detected in 2 regions: in the left frontal areas of the superior, middle, and inferior frontal gyri (p < 0.001) and in the anterior part of the superior and middle temporal gyri (p < 0.01). Variable patterns of interference were observed (speech arrest, anomia, phonemic, or semantic paraphasia) probably related to the different stages in famous face processing. Only 4 famous face-naming interferences were found in the right hemisphere.

CONCLUSIONS

Relative anatomical segregation of naming categories within language areas was detected. This study showed that famous face naming was preferentially processed in the left frontal and anterior temporal gyri. The authors think it is necessary to adapt naming tasks in neurosurgical patients to the brain region studied.

SPINAL MENINGIOMA SURGERY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH PARAPLEGIA OR SEVERE PARAPARESIS

OBJECTIVE

In a multicenter study, 102 patients aged 70 years or older with paraplegia or severe paraparesis, and who underwent operation for spinal meningiomas, are presented to correlate surgery and outcome and to determine the most influential factors that affected this outcome.

METHODS

Five French neurosurgical centers participated in this retrospective study between 1990 and 2007. Pre- and postoperative neurological status were assessed using a grading system. All patients underwent operation, and neurological evaluations were conducted 3 months and 1 year after surgery. The median follow-up period was 49.5 months (range, 12–169 months). Data were analyzed using a multiple logistic regression model.

RESULTS

Twenty-six patients were paraplegic (Grade 4). Complete tumor removal was obtained in 93 patients. There was no surgical mortality, and morbidity was 9%. Three months after surgery, 7 of the patients were unchanged, 87 patients had improved, and 8 were not evaluated. One year after surgery, 7 of the 100 surviving patients were clinically unchanged and 93 had improved. Of those who had improved, 49 patients experienced complete recovery.

CONCLUSION

Advanced age did not seem to contraindicate surgery, even in patients with severe preoperative neurological deficits and/or an American Society of Anesthesiologists class of III. Quality of life can be improved in most cases.

“The Mute Who Can Sing”: a cortical stimulation study on singing

Object

In an attempt to identify cortical areas involved in singing in addition to language areas, the authors used a singing task during direct cortical mapping in 5 patients who were amateur singers and had undergone surgery for brain tumors. The organization of the cortical areas involved in language and singing was analyzed in relation with these surgical data.

Methods

One left-handed and 4 right-handed patients with brain tumors in left (2 cases) and right (3 cases) hemispheres and no significant language or singing deficits underwent surgery with the “awake surgery” technique. All patients had a special interest in singing and were involved in amateur singing activities. They were tested using naming, reading, and singing tasks.

Results

Outside primary sensorimotor areas, singing interferences were rare and were exclusively localized in small cortical areas (< 1 cm2). A clear distinction was found between speech and singing in the Broca region. In the Broca region, no singing interference was found in areas in which interference in naming and reading tasks were detected. Conversely, a specific singing interference was found in nondominant middle frontal gyri in one patient. This interference consisted of abrupt singing arrest without apparent face, mouth, and tongue contraction. Finally, nonspecific singing interferences were found in the right and left precentral gyri in all patients (probably by interference in final articulatory mechanisms of singing).

Conclusions

Dissociations between speech and singing found outside primary sensorimotor areas showed that these 2 functions use, in some cortical stages, different cerebral pathways.

Severely symptomatic craniovertebral junction abnormalities in children: long-term reliability of aggressive management

OBJECTIVES

The treatment of symptomatic cranio-vertebral junction (CVJ) instability in children affected by CVJ abnormalities is a challenge. A series of severely symptomatic children has been reviewed to understand the controversial long-term effectiveness of the aggressive management of CVJ abnormalities, in terms of clinical improvement, spinal stability and growth.

METHODS

Three Down syndrome patients, 1 with mucopolysaccharidosis and 1 with os odontoideum (range 3-6 years old) with a CVJ instability determining spinal cord compression with severe neurological deficits (the patients presented at admission a Ranawat III A/III B neurological condition), were consecutively treated at our institution. Medical records, imaging studies, adopted surgical techniques and long-term results were reviewed. Details of the presenting symptoms, clinical and radiological signs were compared to the signs and symptoms at follow-up.

RESULTS

The perioperative use of an halo-orthosis, the operative techniques and the timing of rehabilitation were always tailored to the patient's anatomical features. All the patients showed remarkable neurological improvements, along with construct stability and bone fusion without abnormalities of the developing spine.

CONCLUSIONS

Considering the effective long-term results, we recommend, even in severely symptomatic children with CVJ abnormalities, a multidisciplinary aggressive tailored treatment of instability with rigid internal fixation.

Chronic motor cortex stimulation for phantom limb pain: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study: technical case report

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE

Chronic motor cortex stimulation has provided satisfactory control of pain in patients with central or neuropathic trigeminal pain. We used this technique in a patient who experienced phantom limb pain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to guide electrode placement and to assist in understanding the control mechanisms involved in phantom limb pain.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

A 45-year-old man whose right arm had been amputated 2 years previously experienced phantom limb pain and phantom limb phenomena, described as the apparent possibility of moving the amputated hand voluntarily. He was treated with chronic motor cortex stimulation.

INTERVENTION

Data from fMRI were used pre- and postoperatively to detect shoulder and stump cortical activated areas and the "virtual" amputated hand cortical area. These sites of preoperative fMRI activation were integrated in an infrared-based frameless stereotactic device for surgical planning. Phantom limb virtual finger movement caused contralateral primary motor cortex activation. Satisfactory pain control was obtained; a 70% reduction in the phantom limb pain was achieved on a visual analog scale. Postoperatively and under chronic stimulation, inhibiting effects on the primary sensorimotor cortex as well as on the contralateral primary motor and sensitive cortices were detected by fMRI studies.

CONCLUSION

Chronic motor cortex stimulation can be used to relieve phantom limb pain and phantom limb phenomena. Integrated by an infrared-based frameless stereotactic device, fMRI data are useful in assisting the neurosurgeon in electrode placement for this indication. Pain control mechanisms and cortical reorganization phenomena can be studied by the use of fMRI.

Frontoethmoidal meningoencephalocoele repair in Cambodia: outcomes and cost comparisons

In Cambodia, spina bifida is rare, but frontoethmoidal meningoencephalocoeles (MECs) are common. Mean life expectancy for patients with congenital MECs may be <20 years, but the complex treatment required has not been available in the country until recently. During visits by combined neurosurgical/craniofacial teams from both Germany and France, a method of repair has been developed that is suitable for the local conditions, affordable and has allowed Cambodian surgeons to learn how to successfully treat MECs. The surgical technique and initial results with 30 patients have been described in a previous publication. This paper presents the outcomes of 128 cases and illustrates that it is cost-effective for these patients to be treated in Cambodia.

The role of surgery when endovascular treatment is considered the first choice therapy for ruptured intracranial aneurysms

AIM

Nowadays endovascular therapy is more and more considered as first choice treatment for ruptured intracranial aneurysms. The aim of this study was to understand the impact that endovascular treatment (EVT), chosen as first therapeutic strategy, has had in the selection of ruptured intracranial aneurysms submitted to surgery at our Institution and what role neurosurgeons still play in this setting.

METHODS

From 1998 to 2002, 272 consecutive patients were treated at the Hospital of Toulouse for ruptured intracranial aneurysms: 222 by embolization and 50 by surgery. The two groups were homogeneous for sex, age and aneurysms multiplicity.

RESULTS

The patients of the surgical group had a worst clinical-radiological status at the treatment time than those treated by EVT. Clipping was performed for different reasons: 16% for failure of attempted EVT; 32% for intracranial hematoma requiring surgical evacuation; 30% for aneurysm morphology unsuitable for EVT and 22% for absence of the endovascular operator. Aneurysms of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) represented the main surgical group. The aneurysms judged unsuitable for EVT and addressed to surgery had often a complex morphology representing a challenge also for surgery. Mid-term outcome is significantly better for patients treated by EVT.

CONCLUSION

The results show that microsurgery continues to have a role in the treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms even when EVT is the first choice. The precarious clinical conditions of the patients submitted to surgery and the frequent complexity of their aneurysms explain their worst outcome. This would advise training dedicated vascular Neurosurgeons to guaranty a high level treatment when EVT is not possible.